


West Alpine

by GoddessOfAries



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Small Town, Animal Death, Assault, Don't Have to Know Canon, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, Slow Burn Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, Strangers to Friends, Triggers, small town AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:21:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 87,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25475326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoddessOfAries/pseuds/GoddessOfAries
Summary: Lena Luthor has just moved to the small town of West Alpine. She was forced to quit her dream job as a college professor, after a false rumor about an affair forced her to resign, and become a high school science teacher.Kara Danvers is the small town’s cop. She deals with the town drunks when they get too loud at the bar, or the juvenile teenagers who think it’s fun to trespass into the abandoned train yard.One day, at a town cook out, Kara finally meets the aloof Ms. Luthor. It’s a meeting that sparks an unlikely friendship. Despite West Alpine shunning Lena, Kara embraces her as if they’d been best friends for years. The affection causes Lena do to something she promised herself she’d never do; fall in love.
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Comments: 73
Kudos: 537
Collections: Finishedstoriesmine





	1. The Meeting of Strangers

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone!  
> I hope you enjoy West Alpine, and I apologize in advance if some of the characters seem ‘wrong’. I’ve only watched a little bit of Supergirl, but I love the Supercorp relationship, and their characters. This is also just a small side project, so my updates might be slow due to work and school starting back up. Again, I hope you enjoy the story, and I look forward to seeing where this goes!
> 
> Stay safe :)  
> -Aries

The clock hands seemed to be taking years to tick by. Kara kept glancing up to see how much time had passed by, but they seemed to almost never move. She sighed and leaned back in her chair, looking down at the papers in front of her. She had been filling out paperwork for a majority of the day. Her sister, Alex, was out on patrol with a few other officers around town while Kara was alone- save for Susan, the woman who worked dispatch most of the week.

Kara rubbed her eyes, words swimming around behind her eyelids. She hated filing arrest reports, but they had piled up and if she didn’t finish putting them in now Sheriff Henshaw would have her ass. So, with a sip of her lukewarm coffee, Kara got back to work.

It took a few more hours before someone finally came into the office. Kara looked up to see her sister striding into the bullpen, holding her Stetson by the brim. She never liked wearing her hat, thinking it looked goofy. Kara could understand her argument, feeling like the hat made her own head look too big. “How is it out on the battle field?” Kara asked with a large grin, happy to finally see a friendly face. 

“Oh you know… Caught a few people speeding, helped an old lady across the street. The usual.” Alex returned the smile, walking over to her desk on the other side of the bullpen. “How’s the paperwork?” Alex asked as she pulled some items out of her desk, turning on her computer. “Terrible. Boring. Makes me want to jump out of the window.” Alex scoffed, looking up at her sister. “We’re on the first story. I think the bush outside of the window would be more dangerous than the actual fall.”

The two sisters bantered for a little while, before returning to their work. The time seemed to pass by a lot quicker once Kara had someone to properly talk to. Susan was a nice woman, but she was very focused on her work, and awkwardly far away. Kara would have had to yell to have a simple conversation with her.

Once the evening had rolled around, signaling the end of Kara’s shift, she started to pack up her things to go home. She was just about to stand and leave her desk when another officer walked in. Winn Schott had a wild look on his face, eyes wide and mouth ajar as he practically ran into the room. Kara paused, eyebrow raising as she watched her coworker. “You’ll never believe it!” Winn said as he bounced over to the two Danvers. The sisters exchanged looks, but awaited Winn’s news. “There’s a new science teacher in town, and she’s HOT.”

Alex simply sighed in disappointment, and turned back to her work. Kara, although surprised at the news that there was a new person in town, rolled her eyes and returned to slinging her work bag over her shoulder. “Why do you find that so exciting?” Kara asked off-handedly. “Because there’s not a whole ton of real estate in this town! The only attractive girls are either already taken, or my coworkers.” Kara wrinkled her nose, and glanced over to her sister, who was playfully frowning. “The fact that you just called us real estate is kind of insulting,” Alex said. Winn threw his hands up, defensively saying something back.

Kara simply called out her goodbye as the two officers bantered, holding her hat in one hand and her coffee in the other as she strolled out of the police station. She didn’t really think much about what Winn had said until she got into her car, tossing her bag and hat into the back. She questioned who in the world would want to move all the way to the West Alpine, Washington. The population wasn’t even 7,000, and Kara was pretty sure it wasn’t even on most maps. The people here were extremely cliquey, and would make it their business to go through everyone’s personal life. If Kara was completely honest, the town was rather toxic, and the only reason she stayed was because her work as an officer here would help her get a job in a bigger city.

As she drove her personal car up the winding road almost to the top of the mountain that West Alpine was built on, Kara’s mind wandered to something else, away from the new science teacher. She arrived to her cabin home, sighing as she grabbed her stuff and strolled inside. As soon as she opened the door, however, a big fluffy creature bodily slammed into her. Zeus, Kara’s golden retriever, barked and whimpered in excitement as he tried to jump up onto her. His entire body wiggled as his tail wagged like mad. Kara laughed, smiling to her companion as she set her stuff down on the nearest table, so that she could sit on the ground and give him all the hugs and pets he desired.

Kara lived alone, relatively deep in the woods, so she decided that she should get a dog to keep her company. Zeus was a good and loyal boy, and she loved him dearly. Kara didn’t stand up until Zeus had calmed down, getting up and brushing all his hair off of her uniform. She sighed softly, grabbing her work items and going into her home office to set her bag on her desk. Her night was rather uneventful, consisting of a simple dinner, a movie, and some more paperwork which went by quickly.

Kara was getting ready for bed when she heard her phone go off, indicating that she had a text. She opened it up to see that it was Alex who had texted her.

‘What time are you planning on being at the party next week? Want to come over before? We can get ready together.’

Kara huffed at the reminder of the town party. It wasn’t exactly an official ‘town party’, but most of the adults liked to get together every month in the field behind the most popular bar to drink and have fun. This month both Alex and Kara were off, so they had planned on going together, as well as Winn if he managed to get out of his shift. Kara texted her sister back, agreeing that they should hang out before the actual party. She personally didn’t mind going to smaller get-togethers with some of her friends in town, but this gathering was going to be full of the judgmental cliques that made West Alpine so toxic. The only reason she was actually going to this thing was because her absence was noticed for the past few months, and people were starting to pester her.

She lay in bed contemplating how the town gathering would go for a little while, but eventually fell asleep. When she woke up, early in the morning, she got ready and went to work. It was uneventful, as were the next few days. No one brought up the new science teacher, and Kara didn’t even think of her. It wasn’t until the day before the town party that, while Kara, Alex, and Winn were out to lunch that Winn brought the teacher back up.

“Do you think she’ll be there tomorrow?” He asked between large mouthfuls of sandwich. Kara looked up from her fries, scoffing and glancing to Alex. “Why, do you think you have a chance with her?” Alex asked with a grin. Winn got bright red, and slumping down a little. “You make it sound impossible for anyone to like me.” Alex laughed, but Kara reached forward and put her hand on Winn’s. “Hey, who knows, maybe she will find your dorkiness cute. Don’t listen to Alex, she just likes to be mean.” Winn gave Kara a small smile, and the conversation drifted elsewhere.

As the day progressed, Kara started to think more and more about the upcoming party, and wondered if the new resident really would show up. Would her coworkers have told her about the party? Was she even someone who was interested in partying? Maybe she was like some of the uptight people in town- the ones who frowned upon anything fun or rowdy, thinking it was a disturbance of the peace. Poor Susan in dispatch would probably get twenty calls tomorrow night about how the party was getting too loud, even though everyone tried to be respectful and as quiet as possible.

Meeting the new woman would be kind of nice, Kara figured. She didn’t have many friends outside of work, and it was always an adventure learning about someone. Life was getting kind of stale, so what if this woman made things exciting again? Kara thought about this for the rest of the day, creating an image of what she thought the new resident would be like. Right before Kara and Winn left for the night, walking through the parking lot, Kara asked Winn if he knew the new teachers name. He paused, making a face as he thought for a moment. “Uhm… I only heard her last name from some of the other teachers I was talking to the other day. Lewis? Larson? No, those aren’t it.” Winn scratched his chin for a moment before snapping his fingers. “Luthor! That’s her name.”

Kara attached the last name to the face she had created in her head. She didn’t feel like it fit very well, but she shrugged and thanked Winn before going to her car. That night, as she was watching some TV and cuddled with Zeus, she started to think of Ms. Luthor again. She envisioned them talking in the field behind the town’s bar, laughing and exchanging life stories. When Kara went to bed, she was making up a back story for the Luthor woman- whose face was kind of blurry, like Kara couldn’t focus on it for too long before looking away.

The next day, after going to the small town gym for an hour or two and then eating a late breakfast, Kara drove to Alex’s apartment. Alex lived almost in the center of the city, saying she preferred being around people, compared to Kara’s seclusion. Kara had brought a spare bag of clothing, talking with her sister and spending most of the day just sitting around. “So, are you actually going to talk to James tonight? I heard he’s only showing up because he heard you’re going to be there.” Alex grinned as Kara turned bright red. James Olsen was the town reporter and newpaper editor. Him and Kara had become friends when he interviewed her- She had rescued a family from a burning building a few years ago, when the fire department had been taking too long to get to the scene –and ever since then Alex has been bugging them to get together.

Yeah, James was sweet and not bad looking, but every time Kara tried to picture them together it felt wrong. Even with the attraction she felt between them, it felt like a bad connection. As if the only reason she was even bothering with the idea of getting together with James is because someone brought made her think about it. It felt like she just decided to have a ‘crush’ on him.

“I’ll talk to him, but just as friends,” Kara said to her sister, frowning a little, “It’s sweet that he’s coming to the party for me, though.” Alex shrugged, not pressing the matter further. The two of them eventually started to get ready. It didn’t take long for Kara to put her make up on- it was simply foundation and mascara –while Alex took a moment to put on dramatic winged eyeliner and a smoky eyeshadow. The party was a casual event, but Kara still wore something a little nicer. She put on dark maroon pants, a small black belt, and a dark blue polka dot shirt. She finished the outfit with some black tall Converse and a leather jacket, checking herself out in the mirror before leaving with Alex.

It was almost sundown when the two sisters arrived at the party. It was already in full swing, with a massive bonfire and lots of booze being sold from the bar. Kara and Alex strolled into the field, immediately being greeted by some of the other adults. Alex started speaking with a few of her friends, Kara glancing around the field. There were lots of people there, and she recognized all of them. There were no unfamiliar faces, so either the Luthor woman wasn’t there yet, or wasn’t going to be there at all.

As Kara was looking around, she noticed someone walking over to her. James smiled wide, two drinks already in his hand. “Kara! I haven’t seen you for a few days, how are you?” Kara returned the smile, adjusting her glasses as she walked a few steps to meet him. “I’m great! I’m sorry for not talking a whole ton. Work has been really busy, and Henshaw has been on my butt recently about paperwork.” The two chuckled together, before Kara glanced back down at the extra cup in James’ hand. “Oh, this is for you! I hope you don’t mind, I just assumed you’d like a drink.” Kara took the cup that was offered to her, politely smiling. She sipped the drink, happy to taste the absence of alcohol. She had work early in the morning, and didn’t want to have a hangover while on patrol.

“I have to be honest, I was a little worried I scared you off,” James said as he also took a big gulp of his drink. Kara furrowed her eyebrows, looking confused. “Just,” James paused, looking down at his cup, “I think I was a little forward, and pushed things a little too hard when we were out to dinner. I didn’t mean to pressure you into anything. I’m sorry if I came off pushy.”

The memory of a few nights ago flooded back into Kara’s mind. James and her had gone out to dinner one night. She thought of it as a friendly outing, but he thought of it as a date. When he started talking about getting into a relationship, Kara had quickly shut it down, paying for her half of the meal before running home. It was such an awkward situation that Kara had pushed the memory to the back of her brain.

“Oh, no, don’t worry about it. I just… I’m not really ready for a relationship right now. I’m kind of trying to focus on my career.” Kara felt her shoulders tensing as she spoke, nibbling her lip nervously. James waved it off, smiling wide as he always did. “Hey, don’t worry about it! I just feel like an idiot looking between the lines that weren’t there.” The two laughed a little, awkwardly pausing before James quickly changed subjects.

An hour or so passed with Kara simply hanging around James and Alex. Eventually Winn showed up, already holding a beer in his hand. He was visibly looking around, and Kara could have sworn she could smell his cologne a little stronger than normal. He wore a formal button up and jeans, nervously switching his drink from one hand to the other. “So, do you think your new crush is here yet?” Kara joked, bumping Winn with her shoulder. Winn glared at her for a moment before his eyes returned to the crowd again. “I just want to introduce myself tonight, that’s all,” He mumbled. Kara chuckled, but nodded. “I’ll let you know if I see anyone unfamiliar, so you can see if it’s her.”

If Kara had to be honest, she was also glancing around the party, occasionally taking a lap around the field to see if she couldn’t find the aloof newcomer. She didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary until it was well past dark, and the only light source was the main blazing campfire in the center of the field, as well as a few others dotted around. She was subconsciously scanning the party goers when she noticed a small clump of people towards the back. She raised her eyebrow, noticing that the group of men looked to be caging something in against the tree line that surrounded almost the entire field.

Kara set down her unfinished drink, silently leaving her small group to casually walk towards the clump. She knew that if someone noticed her too soon, they would run away- she was well known for being one of the town cops. Out of habit Kara put her long blond hair into a bun as she walked, preparing for something to happen.

Through a gap in the wall of men, she could see the town douche- Eric Matthews –speaking very drunkenly to someone. As Kara got closer, she could see the figure of a woman standing with her arms crossed, looking extremely uncomfortable. She couldn’t see exactly who the figure was, but it didn’t matter. It was obvious that Eric was heckling whoever it was, and she knew it was her duty as a cop and a woman to stop whatever was going on.

“Hey!” Kara barked out once she was close enough, her face hardening. Instantly most of the men in the group backed off and practically ran away. Kara’s eyes locked onto Eric, narrowing into a deathly glare as she stormed over. Eric turned to look at her frowning and haughtily tilting his head up. “What do you want, Rookie?” Eric growled. Kara felt her face glowing red with anger. Even though Kara has been an officer for over 4 years, Eric made it his personal vendetta to call Kara demeaning names. ‘Rookie’ was his favorite.

“I want you to stop heckling this young woman,” Kara ordered. She had yet to look at the woman who Eric was trying to sink his claws into, but she made it a point to walk between the two of them, crossing her arms over her chest. Eric looked angry, his face also reddening. “We’re just having a nice conversation. Isn’t that right?” Eric looked over Kara’s shoulder, but she didn’t follow his gaze. “It doesn’t look ‘nice’ to me… Having your friends surround a girl like she’s your prey isn’t very friendly.” Eric sneered, his fists clenching and the vein in his neck popping.

“How about you back off?” Was Eric’s only reply. He reached up and tried to push Kara’s shoulder, but all she did was deflect his hand, returning the shove to the center of his chest. Knocked off balance, Eric stumbled and fell backwards into the mud, on his ass. A few of his friends snickered, but stopped as soon as they received a death glare from him. He scrambled to stand up, puffing his chest out and trying to get into Kara’s face. Kara re-crossed her arms to put a barrier between the two of them, refusing to take a step back. She could feel Eric’s hot breath on her face as he yelled, “What the fuck is your problem?!”

Kara glared at him. “I want you to leave this woman alone. She wants nothing to do with you… In fact, I think it’s time for you to leave.” Her jaw clenched as Eric stared angrily at her. He was visibly contemplating if he should attempt to strike her. Kara was watching his face carefully, and was grateful to see him back down, taking a step away. “Whatever…” He spat on the ground before turning away, gesturing for his friends to follow him. Kara didn’t relax until she was sure Eric wouldn’t change his mind, dropping her arms and relaxing her shoulders.

Kara turned around to look at the woman she had defended, momentarily freezing when she realized she didn’t recognize her. The woman’s hair was as dark as the night, and her eyes were ice green. She had a square jaw and long pointed nose, with full, crimson colored lips, and a posture that emitted authority. She was… Beautiful. Almost goddess like. Kara could have stared at her for hours and wouldn’t have found one single flaw.

“Uh…” Kara mumbled, her jaw slightly ajar. The woman stared at her in confusion, perfect eyebrows furrowing as her lips were pulled thin. It took Kara a moment to blink and snap out of her daze, visibly jumping to attention. “Uhm. Oh. Are you okay? Eric didn’t try anything, did he?” The confidence that she felt while talking to Eric quickly deflated, replace with awkward anxiety. She realized that Winn had been right; this woman was the most attractive person she had ever seen.

“No, he didn’t. He was just drunk, and being pushy. I’m okay, thank you,” Ms. Luthor said, shifting her weight from foot to foot. Her voice was as soft as velvet as she spoke; it almost made Kara melt. She held eye contact, not nearly as flustered as Kara was. The two of them were silent for multiple heart beats before Ms. Luthor said, “I didn’t catch your name?” Her head tilted adorably, and Kara gave an embarrassed laugh. “I’m Officer Danvers… But you can just call me Kara.” She stiffly held out her hand to the woman, who gently took it. “I’m Lena. Lena Luthor. Thank you, by the way. Honestly, I was starting to get worried I would really have to make a scene to get away from that guy.”

Lena… What a beautiful name… The image of ‘Ms. Luthor’ had shattered in Kara’s mind, replaced with the wonderful face of Lena. Her polite smile made her eyes sparkle, and Kara found herself wondering what her laugh sounded like. “You don’t have to worry too much about Eric. He’s a huge jerk, and I wouldn’t trust any opened drink he gave to you, but as long as someone’s with you when he’s around he won’t do anything.” Lena’s eyebrows furrowed, glancing off in the direction Eric had gone. “That’s good information to have. I’ll keep that in mind, then.”

There was a long pause were Kara didn’t know what to say. The two women stood silently for a moment before finally Kara thought of a question. “So you’re new to West Alpine? Where were you from before?” She smiled, putting her hands in her pocket. “I moved here from Southern California, but I was born in a city called Metropolis.” Kara nodded along as Lena spoke. A million questions flooded into her mind just from that one sentence, and she had to remind herself not to bombard Lena with them all at once. There was time to get to know her.

“Did you move here with family?” Kara asked. Lena shook her head, the firelight catching her long hair at just the right angle so glints of orange streaked beautifully through it. “I came alone. I’m not exactly in touch with my family… But that’s another story for another time.” Lena politely smiled, and started to look around a little more. She was alone? So that meant she was single. The thought reminded Kara that she had promised to try and match Lena with Winn.

“If you’d like, I can introduce you to some of my friends? They’re all very interested to meet you.” Kara took a step back, and gestured to the general direction that she came from. Lena hugged herself, shifting uncomfortably. “I don’t mean to be rude, but after the encounter earlier I’m a little done with socializing. Thank you for the invitation, though.” Kara felt a little disappointed, but understood her desire to leave. “Well then let me escort you to your car. I don’t want Eric trying to bother you again.” Lena smiled gratefully, allowing Kara to walk besides her along the edge of the field, to the parking lot.

“West Alpine is a very comfortable town. I hope everyone is treating you well,” Kara said as they walked. “Everyone has been very nice. My students have been the most welcoming, honestly.” The comment reminded Kara that Lena was a science teacher at the local high school. “That’s good to hear. I know teenagers can be kind of ruthless sometimes. What grade do you teach?” The two of them reached the street, and Lena guided them down, away from the bar. “I teach chemistry, so most of my students are Seniors.”

The women reached a sporty black car, Lena searching the small bag that hung over her shoulder for her keys. “Thank you for everything, Officer Danvers. I hope to see you soon.” Lena smiled a genuine smile, and for a moment that’s all Kara could focus on. Her teeth were perfect, and it made her entire face light up. She looked impossibly more beautiful and elegant, like a drawing of Aphrodite.

Lena offered her hand once more, which Kara grabbed a little too quickly. “Of course, as do I. Stay safe.” Kara backed away, but didn’t turn around until Lena was in her car, and pulling away. She slowly walked backwards until she saw the black car turn onto a road and disappear.

When Kara returned to the party, the first person to question where she had been was Alex. Her sister looked worried, eyebrows furrowed. “I just met the new teacher,” Kara said simply. As expected, Winn’s head snapped up. “You what?! Where is she?” He frantically started to look around, trying to find her. Kara scoffed, seeing how desperate he looked. “She went home, Winn… Eric Matthews cornered her, so I scared him away, and she left.” Winn looked comically sad, like a puppy who just got scolded. “And you didn’t introduce me?” He whimpered. Kara put her hands up defensively. “I tried, but she was uncomfortable, and wanted to leave! Next time I see her, and you’re nearby, I promise to bring her to you.”

“Did you manage to catch her name?” James asked. He had Kara’s forgotten drink in his hand, and when he handed it to her she looked down at it, uninterested in the lukewarm liquid. Everyone seemed very excited, visibly leaning in as they awaited Kara’s reply. “Her name is Lena… Lena Luthor.”

**********

Kara didn’t see Lena for another week and a half. It was a weekend, and Kara was on her lunch break. Normally when she was on patrol, Kara would simply eat in her cruiser, or drive back to the station. That day, however, she decided to treat herself to some diner food. She had missed the sporty black car in the parking lot as she parked in front of the restaurant, nor did she notice Lena when she first walked in. Kara removed her hat, and went straight for the diner counter, taking a seat on the vibrant stool. Straight away the usual waitress- Eleanor –walked up to her and set a mug in front of her.

“Afternoon, Officer. How’s your shift going?” She took the pot of coffee that seemed to always be in her hand and poured a generous amount into Kara’s cup. “Rather eventful, actually. Six speeding tickets, and some trespassing teenagers,” Kara replied with her bubbly smile. “Huh, you don’t say… Do you know what you want? The usual?” Eleanor was already writing down Kara’s order. “Only if you let me pay for it this time,” Kara replied, frowning when the waitress laughed.

Eleanor gestured to the diner full of people. “Does it look like one free meal will put us out of business, sweetie? It’s on the house; like it or not.” Kara smiled gratefully, watching Eleanor walk away to tell the cook her order. She sat silently for a moment, bouncing her hat on her knee as she mixed a little bit of creamer and an obscene amount of sugar into her coffee. She blew on the steaming beverage before taking a careful sip, casually glancing at the people around her.

That’s when her eye caught on Lena. She was sitting alone, reading what seemed to be a science magazine. She casually reached down for the fork on the plate in front of her, not even looking as she carefully stabbed a few pieces of lettuce from the salad she was eating. For a moment Kara wanted to get up to go greet her, but stopped when she assumed that she was busy, or wanted to be left alone. She stayed sitting on her stool, nibbling on her lip as she fought the urge to keep glancing at Lena. To keep herself busy, Kara pulled out her phone and started to browse social media.

After a few minutes Kara received her lunch, thanking Eleanor by forcing a twenty-dollar bill into her hand before turning her attention to the food; a massive double patty burger with all the toppings, and extra fries. She grabbed some ketchup and liberally squirted it on her burger and to the side for her fries. She took a huge bite of her food, holding it with both hands. She couldn’t help but moan through her mouthful of juicy beef, giving an approving nod to Eleanor when she glanced over at her. She practically devoured her burger in a few bites, so caught up in the flavors that she didn’t notice Lena Luthor looking over at her.

Kara was working on her fries when she noticed someone walk up next to her. She froze, mid bite into a fry when her eyes met Lena’s. She quickly sat up straight, and covered her mouth with a hand as she said, “Good afternoon, Ms. Luthor.” Lena smiled to her, looking very amused. “Good afternoon. Are you enjoying your lunch?” Kara frantically chewed her food, swallowing as she nodded. “The Diner is my favorite place to eat. They have the best burgers.” Lena glanced down at the few drips of grease that were the only remnants of Kara’s sandwich on the plate, chuckling. “I can see that.” 

Lena visibly paused, her eyes glancing all over Kara’s face. “Is there something I can help you with?” Kara glanced around the diner to see if anyone was giving Lena funny looks. A few people quickly glanced away, but none of them looked hostile. “Well, I just wanted to apologize for being so rude when we first met.” Kara looked confused, eyebrows furrowing as she looked back to Lena. Rude? She wasn’t rude at all! “I felt like I practically ran away, and I just wanted to let you know I wasn’t running from you.” Kara’s eyes widened, and she put her hands out in front of her. “I didn’t think that at all! I know you were stressed out about what happened, and I completely understand why you left. I would have done the same thing if some creep cornered me like that.”

Lena smiled sweetly, nodding her thanks. “It was very nice of you to help me.” Kara returned the smile. “Of course, it wasn’t a problem at all. If you’d like, I can give you my card, to make you feel more comfortable. It has my personal phone number on it, so if you ever need help, you can get in touch with me straight away.” Kara fumbled around in her back pocket, grabbing her wallet and pulling out a plain white business card with the sheriff’s star logo on the back of it. “That would be wonderful, thank you,” Lena took the card, slipping it into her pocket.

“Well, I’ll leave you to enjoy the rest of your lunch. Stay safe out there, Officer Danvers.” Lena turned and started to walk away. Kara quickly turned in her stool and called out, “You can call me Kara, you know.” Lena looked behind her, her dark hair falling off her shoulder onto her back. She smiled sweetly and nodded, but didn’t repeat the name. Instead she turned and walked out of the restaurant. Kara watched the door of the diner for a long minute before turning around and returning to her beloved fries. 

Eleanor walked over to Kara as she ate, also looking off to where Lena had left. “Is that the new woman in town?” A frown turned her face sour. “She looks like trouble.” Kara stared at Eleanor for a moment, also frowning. “I think she’s sweet… This town doesn’t deserve her.” Before Eleanor could reply, Kara stood up and walked out of the diner. She put her Stetson on, the emotional high she had only a few moments ago completely ruined now.

**********

Kara didn’t hear from Lena for another five days. It was Thursday, around 3 in the afternoon when Kara heard her phone vibrate in its holster on her utility belt. She was sitting in her usual speed trap, but today was extremely slow and boring. There was no chatter on the radio, no cars driving past, and no good music playing on the radio. At first Kara almost ignored her phone, figuring it was just Alex complaining that her patrol was also going slow, even though she had complained about it two hours before. However, something nagged Kara in the back of her mind to check the text.

‘Hello. This is Lena Luthor. Is this Officer Danvers?’

Kara scoffed at the formalness of the text. Her first instinct was to correct Lena on the use of ‘Officer Danvers’, but decided that it would be rude to correct her straight away.

‘Yup, you’ve got the right officer! How are you, Ms. Luthor?’

There was about a thirty-minute pause, and Kara was just about to put her phone away when it finally buzzed with a text again.

‘I’m well. Just finishing up some grading. How are you? Figured I’d ask if you knew of any fun activities to do around here.’

For a moment Kara was going to wait for a little bit before responding, not wanting to show that she was practically watching her phone, waiting for it to go off. Her willpower quickly died, however, replying within a minute.

‘Just on patrol. It’s boring, no one is breaking the law today.  
As for fun things, I’m afraid the list is very short. We have the beach, although the water is freezing cold and it’s very hard to get down to. There’s the library, if you enjoy to read. We have a one screen movie theater, which has some good films to choose from. The only other thing I can think of is the museum at the very top of the mountain. If you like plants, they have a solarium that’s beautiful on sunny days.’

Kara set her phone down on the seat next to her, softly sighing as she looked up at the tree line across the road she was watching. Right as Kara heard her phone buzz, the radio in her car came to life. “Unit 38, do you copy? Over.” Susan’s voice crackled through. That unit number was Kara’s number, so she quickly pulled her mic closer to her mouth. “This is Danvers. I copy, over.” She replied, glancing back down to her phone. “There’s a report of a noise complaint in your area. Caller says it sounds like two people fighting, over.” Kara sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. She requested the address from Susan, flipping on her lights and sirens as she was told where it was. Kara straight away knew who the complaint was about. Sean Afton and Rachel Lexa were neighbors, and they absolutely hated each other. At least once a month they got into screaming fights over property lines, or trash cans being out for too long, or the others lawn being unkempt.

It didn’t take long for Kara to get to the scene, and sure enough she could hear the screaming over her siren- which she turned off as soon as she pulled up, as well as her lights. The yelling didn’t stop as Kara got out of her cruiser. If anything it got louder, Sean blaming Rachel for the cops being called. Kara walked up to the fighting neighbors, a deeply unamused look on her face. She stopped a few feet away from them, hooking her thumbs into her utility belt and popping her hip out.

Kara cleared her throat, but the yelling didn’t stop. She frowned, glaring, her patience already being tested. She was missing a phone conversation with a new friend for this bull crap. “Hey!” Kara yelled over the neighbors, who instantly stopped yelling. “What in the world is the problem now, you two?!” Kara looked between the two adults, feeling like she was a teacher trying to break up a fight between two toddlers. Sean and Rachel looked from Kara, to each other, and then back to Kara.

All of a sudden both of them started talking frantically at the same time. “This bitch won’t stop parking so close to my house,” Sean yelled. “This back of dicks threatened to key my car and smash in my windows,” Rachel tried to yell above Sean. Kara quickly shut both of them up by waving her hands in front of them. “One at a time! I can’t listen to you both when you’re talking over each other.” Kara turned to Rachel first, asking her to repeat herself.

“He’s threatening to key my car, and take a baseball bat to my windows for no reason- “Rachel, who was still talking loudly, was cut off by Sean. “It’s not for no reason! You keep parking too close to my house! I told you to park on the other side of the driveway!” Kara clapped her hands once, to get the two’s attention. “Hey, I said stop talking over each other! Mr. Afton, I have told you this once before, and I will tell you again; you cannot dictate where Ms. Lexa parks on her own property. Furthermore, you’re also not allowed to make threats like that. If you key or smash her property, you will be taken to jail.” Kara felt like she was explaining this to a two-year-old. Sean looked like a two-year-old to be fair, his mouth slightly ajar and his eyes wide as he stared at Kara.

Sean opened his mouth to speak, but Rachel was already talking over him. “See? I told you I have every right to park wherever I want, you dumbass.” Mr. Afton’s face got bright red, and if looks could kill Rachel Lexa would have dropped dead. Kara could tell what was going to happen before Rachel did. Sean’s arm reeled back right as Kara grabbed Rachel and pulled her out of the way. Sean’s fist swung right where Rachel had been. Instead of his fist stopping where Rachel once was, it over extended and smashed straight into Kara’s nose.

Already knowing he screwed up, Sean Afton turned on his heels and sprinted down the sidewalk. Kara’s nose gushed blood, but she didn’t have time to stop and notice, already sprinting after Sean. She would have caught him within seconds had he not veered into the woods next to his home right before she was about to grab him. Kara followed him, leaping over logs and roots. She knew all she had to do was wait for Sean to get tired, and then she would have him. She was trained to run through rough terrain, and she had more stamina than the older gentleman.

Within five minutes Sean was huffing and puffing, so Kara took that moment to push herself to go faster, grabbing the back of his shirt and whipping him around. Both of them slammed into the ground, dirt and leaves flying everywhere. Sean tried to scramble away, but before he could even roll over onto his back Kara was on top of him, pinning him on his stomach. She yanked his arms behind his back, scrambling for her cuffs in her belt. 

Both of them were panting heavily, and Kara couldn’t breathe through her nose- which was still dripping blood, although not as much as it was a few minutes ago. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to hit you, I swear officer!” Sean Afton was yelling. Kara was so angry that she didn’t even give the typical ‘you fucked up’ speech. Instead she just hastily lifted him up by his arms, and started to lead him out of the woods. He tried to physically get away for a moment, but as soon as he realized that both Kara and the cuffs were too strong for him, he resorted to yelling once again.

“Hey! You never read me my rights! This arrest is unjust! Let me go, or I’ll sue your ass!” They walked out of the woods, Kara trying to wipe the crusty blood off of the front of her face- unfortunately a lot of it had gotten onto the front of her uniform. “I don’t have to read you your Maranda Rights unless I’m questioning you, Mr. Afton. I’m arresting you for assault and evading arrest, not asking you about a robbery I think you’re involved in.” Kara was trying her best to keep her temper in check. She was in pain, both from getting punched in the nose and slamming into the ground, and she was tired.

All Kara wanted to do was get this arrest over with, get cleaned up, and then go home. It was almost the end of her shift, and she planned on this being the last thing she was going to do for work that day.

Sean Afton continued to yell, even as Kara put him in the back of her car. She closed the door as Sean was screaming, walking over to Rachel, who was still waiting outside for them. “You look like hell,” Rachel said, looking at Kara’s dirt and blood stained uniform. Kara didn’t respond, still breathing a little heavily. “Do you have any more concerns, ma’am?” She asked out of politeness. Rachel quickly shook her head, gathering herself and walking back into her home.

Kara went back to her car, going to the trunk to pull out some sanitary wipes she kept in there. She cleaned up her face as best she could, but the uniform was a lost cause. She’d have to give it to Susan to take to the dry cleaners. Luckily she always kept a pair of extra clothing in her locker for this exact purpose.

Sean was still yelling and kicking, but it only took about ten minutes for him to realize he was going to jail no matter how big of a fit he threw. Once he was quiet, Kara got on the radio and told Susan that she was coming in with an arrest. It didn’t take much longer to get into the station, and by then Mr. Afton was calm, allowing Kara to lead him into the building. Susan was there, waiting for them with the paperwork all ready. When she saw the blood all over Kara’s uniform, she gave her a confused look, but Kara simply shook her head, leading Sean to her desk so they could fill out all the forms.

By the time they got everything finished, and Sean was put in the holding cell to await transfer to a prison a few hours away, it was well past 5PM. Kara had changed into her extra clothing- a simple pair of jeans and grey hoodie –and didn’t even bother making sure no one needed her before she left. As soon as Sean’s cell was locked, and the paperwork was put in the right file, Kara was storming out of the station. She could feel her pent up anger and frustration boiling up to the point where tears were welling in her eyes. She took a moment to grab her personal items from her cruiser before slumping into her own car.

Her knuckles were pale white as she gripped her steering wheel, pulling away from the police station, driving her usual route up the mountain to her home. Kara loved her job, she got to work with her sister and close friend, but it was moments like this where she couldn’t help but question her career choices. She should have gone into journalism like James. Then she wouldn’t be getting punched in the nose and have to wrestle a man child in the dirt.

Once home, Kara grabbed her stuff and huffed, shuffling into the front room. Zeus seemed to be able to read her body language. At first he had run up to her like always, but as soon as he saw how upset he was, he slid to a stop. His wagging tail slowed, and his head dipped a little as Kara threw her keys into the key dish next to the door. She looked at her loyal companion for a long moment before slumping against the door, sliding down to the floor so that Zeus could come sit on her lap like a small toddler.

Kara hugged onto Zeus for a while, her fingers curling in his soft fur while she buried her face into his side. He sat there like a good dog, tail slowly wagging against the hardwood floor, not moving until Kara pulled away. She gave him a kiss on the head before getting up, walking to her kitchen to grab a glass of water.

She felt her phone buzz in her pocket, suddenly reminded her that Lena had texted her over three hours ago. She was so busy that she had forgotten to respond. Kara pulled out her phone to see the most recent text wasn’t from Lena, but instead from Alex. Her sister was questioning her about what happened with Sean Afton. Kara frowned, not wanting to retell the story just yet. Even after her cuddle therapy session with Zeus, she was still frustrated. So instead, she looked to see what Lena had texted her. There was the first text, and then about an hour later she had sent a second.

‘A Solarium? Like a green house? That sounds promising. Tomorrow afternoon is supposed to be the sunniest day of the week. If you’re free, maybe we could go to the museum together. If you want, of course. Don’t feel pressured to go. I don’t want to force you into anything.’

‘I hope your silence is because you’re busy pulling people over, and not because there was a bank robbery or something.’

Kara smiled at the most recent text, quickly typing out a response;

‘Sorry, I was responding to a call. Had to make an arrest. As for tomorrow, I’m free. I assume you have class? Let me know what time is convenient for you.’

She took her phone up to her bedroom, but didn’t sit there to wait for Lena to respond. Instead, she went into her bathroom to look into the mirror for the first time since she woke up that morning. The bridge of her nose had a deep red mark on it, and Kara knew that in the morning there was going to be a pretty nasty bruise. There was still some dried blood on edges of her nose, crusted over and starting to flake off. Her entire left arm was covered in dirt and small scratches from her tackle in the woods, as well. She sighed, feeling sore and tired.

Kara turned her shower onto cold, stripping down and quickly jumping into the ice cold stream. She gasped and tensed up, wanting nothing more than to take a warm bath. However, the cold water would help with her bruises and sore muscles, so she put up with the freezing water for as long as she could.

The shower only lasted about ten minutes before Kara had to jump out, teeth chattering as she shivered. She wrapped herself in a towel, carefully drying her hair with a separate towel before walking back out into her bedroom. By then Lena had texted back twice.

‘An arrest? Sounds exciting. I hope they didn’t give you too much trouble.’

‘The school day ends at 2:30. I can meet you at the museum, or we can meet somewhere else and carpool there? It’s up to you.’

Kara responded in two different texts as well.

‘He was a loud mouth, and he did try running, but everything worked out in the end.’

‘I can pick you up from work. We can make an evening out of it, if you’d like. The museum, and maybe some dinner at the diner?’

For the rest of the night, until Lena said she had to go to bed due to work in the morning, the two of them texted about their plans. Lena agreed that getting dinner would be nice, but instead of going to a public space, they could return to her place for a meal. By the time Kara decided to go to bed, enjoying the fact that she didn’t have to go to work early that morning, she was grinning and thinking about what tomorrow would bring.

********

Kara tapped her thumbs against a steering wheel as she sat at a red light. She was on her way to pick up Lena from her work place, although she had left a few minutes early. By ‘few minutes’, she was actually twenty minutes early. As Kara pulled into the school parking lot, she looked for Lena’s sporty car, parking a few spaces away from it. She nervously checked her phone, making sure Lena hadn’t texted her on the drive over.

She casually scanned the school, her hands absentmindedly picking at a loose string on the arm rest. Kara was nervous to meet Lena, wanting to make a good first impression. She had only talked to her properly twice- in person –so this was the first time they would have an actual conversation that didn’t last five minutes. Kara wanted Lena to be comfortable, and have someone she was able to talk to. She knew it wasn’t easy making friends in a small town, because so many people were trying to simply get information to judge you on, and tell others about. Kara, on the other hand, genuinely wanted to be friends.

As she watched the school, Kara could hear the final bell go off, and see the kids pour out of the building. It took another ten minutes before she could see the teacher leaving, all of them exiting in groups, talking and laughing. Lena was easy to spot, not just because of her dark hair and crimson lipstick, but also because she was completely alone. She carried a large, heavy looking back on her shoulder, crossing through the parking lot with a slight frown.

Kara quickly got out of her car, and started to walk over to Lena, who didn’t notice her until Kara called out her name. “Good afternoon, Ms. Luthor.” Lena looked up, and smiled. Kara could tell it wasn’t her real, genuine smile, because it didn’t reach her eyes. “Is everything okay?” Kara asked, meeting Lena between two cars. “Yes, of course. Just a busy day, is all.” She did look tired, Kara noticed. Her eyes were a little red, and there was a slump to her shoulders. “If you’re tired, we don’t have to do this today. Maybe some other time?” Kara offered, taking a step backwards. Lena’s eyes widened and she immediately started shaking her head, taking a step forward.

“No, it’s okay. Please, I’ve been looking forward to this trip all day. I’ll be okay, please don’t worry about me… It’ll be nice to have someone to properly talk to.” Kara almost didn’t hear the last part, because Lena mumbled it under her breath. She frowned for a moment, but decided to not push. Instead, she reached forward, and wordlessly slipped the bag off of Lena’s shoulder, and put it on her own. “Well if you think you’ve got enough energy, I’m more than happy to continue. Shall we?” Kara smiled her usual bubbly smile, turning and leading the way to Lena’s car.

Once the bag was in Lena’s trunk, and both of the women were in Kara’s car, they were off. Kara got them through the after school traffic, and started to drive up the mountain. The museum was at the very top, a few miles above Kara’s cabin, and had a beautiful view of the entire town down below it.

As Kara drove, she noticed that Lena kept glancing over at her. She realized that she could probably tell that there was a thick amount of make-up caked onto her nose to hide the ugly yellowing bruise that Sean Afton had given her the night before. “So is being a cop dangerous in this town?” Lena asked, once again glancing over to Kara’s face. Kara chuckled nervously, trying to fight the urge to touch her nose. “Not really. It’s honestly just dealing with a lot of drunk or angry people. I’ve never had to draw my gun, honestly, and it’s rare that I make any arrests.”

“But you did last night?” Lena questioned, tilting her head a little. Kara slowly nodded, trying to decide if she should give Lena all the details or not. To be honest she was a little embarrassed about what happened. It’s not every day that you hear someone got punched by accident, when it could have been easily avoided. “Yeah. These two residents, who have the cops called on them at least once a month, were fighting yesterday. One of them threw a punch, but ended up hitting me. Had to chase him for a bit before I was able to arrest him.”

Lena’s eyes were wide, now fully focusing on the caked on make-up on Kara’s face. “Are you okay? I don’t think I’d be able to chase someone after getting punched- although I guess adrenaline is one hell of a thing.” She sat back in her seat, looking ahead of the car as Kara waved her off, saying she was perfectly fine. The two of them went quiet for a moment before Kara could think of something to ask.

“So were your students keeping you busy today? Did they give you some trouble or something?” Lena frowned and sighed, adjusting herself in the seat. “No, my students were well behaved as always… It’s just a little difficult sometimes, because I might not have all the tools or knowledge about the school, so I’m just a little lost.” Lena paused, and Kara was about to ask her if the other teachers were the ones giving her the problems. Lena spoke before she could ask, however, adding, “But I’m okay. I’ll get the hang of things; it just might take me a few more weeks. I really do enjoy the job, don’t get me wrong.”

Kara gently hummed, listening to Lena quickly add the last part. She seemed rather prideful, and like she frowned upon someone offering her help. She obviously wanted to prove either to herself or others that she was strong and capable of doing things by herself. She kind of reminded Kara of her sister, although she knew better than to say that out loud.

“So you moved her from Southern California, you were born in Metropolis, and you had no family that came along with you… Do you have any more interesting facts about yourself?” Kara softly smiled, glancing to Lena. They were almost to the top of the mountain, but she didn’t want to be sitting in awkward silence. Lena casually shrugged, visibly thinking for a moment. “What would you like to know?”

“Well, you seem like a smart woman, and you’re a chemistry teacher so… Where did you go to school?” Kara didn’t know many women- and even men -who had a degree higher than a four-year degree. Most people in West Alpine tended to go into jobs with manual labor, or careers that only involved trade school. The town was a fishing town, so most of the male population went into that business. The women would run the small family businesses, or go into teaching younger students such as middle or elementary school. The high school teachers are mainly the only people- that Kara knows of –who have higher degrees.

“If you mean to ask me where I went to college, I went to the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth… Better known as Trinity College, near Dublin,” Lena answered simply. Kara had to take a moment to process exactly what Lena had just said. “Dublin… As in Ireland?!” She had to remind herself to keep her eyes on the road, glancing between Lena and where they were going. Lena laughed at Kara’s bewildered face, amusedly grinning. She nodded, and laughed even harder as Kara’s jaw dropped. Her laugh was beautiful, and Kara felt a satisfied feeling settling in her chest. It felt good to make her smile and laugh, and Kara found herself hoping that she never stopped.

“Why in the world did you go all the way to Dublin for school?” Kara asked in awe. “To put it simply, my family is very prestigious, and wanted me to get a degree in science. Personally, I wanted to get a degree in history- specifically Russian history –but my mother convinced me to start off with a degree in chemistry.” Lena said it as if it was the most casual thing in the world. Meanwhile, Kara never got any education above high school. She did go to the police training academy, but that was simply just a couple months of classes with Henshaw, and a lot of physical tests.

The conversation ended as Kara pulled up to the museum. Lena leaned forward in her seat, looking at the large building, smiling wide when she saw the large glass dome roof that was visible in the back of the museum. Kara parked the car, and both of them got out. Lena stretched her arms over her head and arched her back a little, making a small noise as she looked up at the sunny sky. Kara glanced around the parking lot, seeing it was almost completely empty. There were maybe six cars in the entire area.

Before walking into the museum, Kara heard Lena softly gasp, turning to see her walking towards the edge of the parking lot. There was a fence and a steep drop off, but right where you could see the town below, the fence got a little lower, so you could look out at the view. Kara grinned, following Lena over to the edge of the drop off. “Your town is so beautiful,” Lena mumbled softly, green eyes darting all over the small clump of buildings. The trees were a massive blanket of green, and yellow, and red- it was almost fall, and things were starting to cool down, so the trees were starting to turn colors. “It’s your town as well,” Kara pointed out.

Lena looked at Kara, making eye contact for a long moment. She looked like she disagreed, but didn’t say anything. Instead, she turned around to look at the museum. “Shall we?” She asked, gesturing for Kara to lead the way. Kara grinned and nodded, taking Lena into the large building.

There was a bored looking woman sitting at the front desk, typing away on her computer. At first she didn’t notice that someone had walked into the building, until Kara called out a sweet greeting. The middle aged woman suddenly looked up, her face breaking out into a smile upon seeing Kara. “Officer Danvers! It’s wonderful to see you! I wasn’t expecting to ever see you here. How are you doing, sweetie?” Kara recognized the woman, taking a moment to remember that her name was Valerie… Something. She honestly couldn’t remember her last name. 

“I’m doing well, how are you?” Kara realized her voice had gotten a little higher, and she was smiling a little too wide. Valerie didn’t seem to notice, too busy talking about how boring her day has been. “You’re honestly the first person I’ve seen in at least two hours. There’s a few families that came in, but they’ve taken their time coming back out.” Kara didn’t want to be rude and point out that the families had every right to be taking their time, so instead she just smiled and agreed, laughing a little bit.

In that moment, Valerie noticed Lena standing awkwardly in back of Kara. She looked to be visibly trying to figure out who she was, before a light bulb went off in her head. “Oh my, you must be the new woman who recently moved into town! I’ve been meaning to find you and meet you. I’m Valerie Bofert- “Oh, so that’s her name” –I help run the West Alpine History and Botanical Museum.” Valerie extended her hand to Lena, who politely shook it. “I’m Lena Luthor. Lovely to meet you.” There was that fake, forced smile again, Kara noticed. She could see the stress in the lines of her face as she made herself grin, awkwardly glancing to Kara. Her eyes seemed to be screaming for assistance.

“Maybe you two can catch up some other time, Mrs. Bofert. I’m currently showing Lena around the town. Figured I’d take her to the best place first.” Kara added that last bit of flattery, so that Valerie wouldn’t take her words as an insult. Valerie took the bait, laughing and agreeing as she sat back down. “Two tickets, then? Go on right through, Officer, no need to pay.” Kara frowned, having already started to reach for her wallet in her back pocket. “Oh, no, please. How much are the tickets? I’d like to pay.”

Valerie didn’t listen, waving her off. She said it was no problem, and that she earned her tickets by simply protecting the town. Kara felt a rush of frustration, still frowning. She sighed and begrudgingly put her wallet back into her pocket. She forced herself to smile, and thank Valerie before guiding Lena into the museum. She practically got everything she had for free, all because she ‘risked her life’ for the town. In reality, she hadn’t really done anything meaningful for the town. She arrested a few people, and broke up many fights, but otherwise her life was never in danger. It was incredibly frustrating getting special treatment, when there were others who deserved that treatment much more.

“I really wish people allowed me to pay for things,” Kara found herself mumbling under her breath as she lead Lena into the exhibits of the museum. If Lena had heard her, she showed no sign. Instead, she changed the subject after a moment. They had walked into the dinosaur section first- as most museums started with. “My brother loved the story of the dinosaur’s as a child. His favorite was a velociraptor. Although he was kind of disappointed later on in life when he learned that they didn’t actually look how they did in Jurassic Park.” Kara chuckled at the fact, looking around at the displays.

“So you have a brother?” Kara asked, glancing from Lena to the picture of a weird bird looking creature. “He’s my half-brother, but yes. We have different fathers. He inherited my family’s company, although many people think he’s running it very poorly.” Lena read a description on a plaque as she spoke absentmindedly. When she was finished, she looked up at Kara. “Do you have any siblings? Any family here at all?” She moved to stand next to Kara, looking at a large skeleton of a dinosaur.

“Well, I was actually adopted when I was thirteen. I have a sister, her name is Alex, and my mother. After my father died, though, she moved to a different city. So now it’s just me and Alex. We’re both police officers, actually.” The two of them walked on, into the early beginnings of man. There was a large display that had a cave man and woman, with a fake fire in the middle. “Were you in the foster system your whole life?” Lena asked gently, visibly unsure if she should bring Kara’s birth parents up. Kara felt completely comfortable talking about her old family. It all happened a long time ago.

“I was actually with my birth family up until the end. There was an explosion one day, and they were caught in it. I was out with my cousin when it happened, and shortly after that the Danvers family took me in.” Kara was speaking without looking at Lena, but when she turned around she saw Lena making a shocked, almost horrified look on her face. “Oh, shoot, I am so sorry! That was a lot of over sharing, I didn’t mean to just dump that all on you. I didn’t mean to scar you,” Kara scrambled, her face bright red in embarrassment. She was so used to just casually talking about her dead parents that she forgot that some people think it’s weird to casually talk like that.

As Kara struggled to find her words, certain that she just blew her chances of ever becoming friends with Lena. Lena, however, suddenly started to laugh. Kara paused in her rambling apologies, freezing as she watched Lena bend forward, practically cackling. “No, please don’t apologize, you’re perfectly okay. I’m laughing because for a moment I just thought, ‘oh, finally, someone who’s family is almost as messed up as mine’!” Lena laughed a little more, but slowly subsided into giggling. Kara wanted to question her meaning, but decided that now was not the time to talk about messy family lives.

She chuckled along with Lena before the two of them moved on. They explored the museum, the mood light and almost relaxed as they spoke. Kara could practically feel their connection starting to grow. Lena was no longer a stranger, but now an acquaintance. It made her happy, knowing that she could finally, properly, help someone out for once.

The exhibits were beautiful and very wonderful to look at. There was a shift in the topic that went from history to plants. Lena was reading some scientific gibberish about the breeding of plants and seemed to completely understand it. Kara, on the other hand, had to search in the back of her mind to remember what little she learned about plants in high school. She vaguely remembered the Punnett square, and how some dude figured out genes all because of flowered plants. 

Eventually, Kara and Lena got to the part that Kara was looking most forward to; the solarium. There were glass double doors that lead into the large glass building. The scent of hundreds of flowers filled the air. Kara couldn’t help but take a deep breath as she walked into the green house. There were chairs and tables placed around the area, but Lena didn’t seem interested in sitting. Instead she looked around in awe, spinning slowly as she walked forward, her jaw ajar slightly. “It’s beautiful here,” Lena said almost in a whisper.

Kara watched Lena for a moment, grinning. Once again, satisfaction sat in her chest as she watched Lena smile. It felt incredibly rewarding seeing that sparkle in her eyes, and the laughter in her face. Kara had to physically remind herself to look away from Lena, turning her gaze onto the beautiful forest of green around them.

They walked down the winding pathway, stopping to read all the plaques and information about the plants. When they were in the center of the green house, Lena sat down on the little stone bench that was placed so you could look at the massive tree in the center of the room. She tilted her head upwards to look up into the leaves. She wasn’t physically smiling, but Kara could see the joy in her face still.

The sun was at the perfect angle, and the clouds in the sky were in the best location, so that as Kara walked over to Lena, she could see the sun beams cascading down over her. Her raven colored hair caught the light just right, so it made it almost glow. Her pale skin was radiant, and her sharp features seemed to be heightened. She looked like a goddess, elegantly sitting on the bench, an almost invisible grin tugging at her crimson lips.

Kara sat carefully next to Lena, the two of them silent as they looked around. They sat like that for almost an hour, simply taking in the beauty of the solarium. Eventually, however, Kara started to notice that it was getting dark. She checked her watch and saw that it was almost 5PM. She glanced up at the sky to see the light fluffy clouds that were once there were now starting to become thick and grey. “If you’re ready, we should probably get going,” Kara spoke softly.

Lena glanced up at the sky as well, frowning seeing the rain clouds. “I believe you’re right… If you take me back to the school, you can follow me to my apartment for dinner?” Kara smiled and nodded, standing up from the bench. They started talking about their plans for the rest of the night, Kara offering to stop by the store so she could get dessert or something to add to the meal. Lena politely declined, saying she had everything they needed, and that if Kara really wanted to help, she could help her with cooking the meal. Satisfied, they returned to the school where Lena’s sporty black car still sat.

The drive to Lena’s apartment was simple; she lived in the same area as Alex, although not in the same apartment. She lived in a nicer building, which Kara knew was full of the wealthier business owners of the town, who had yet to marry or have kids. She silently questioned how a teacher could afford an apartment in this complex, but knew it would be extremely rude to ask.

Lena lead Kara up to almost the top floor of the five story building, and took her to the end of the hallway where she unlocked her apartment. The furnishing was sparse, but what Lena did have looked very expensive and beautiful. One length of the apartment was all glass, showing a beautiful view of the river that cut along the back of West Alpine. As Kara looked around, she could see that the apartment was very clean, and there weren’t many personal items.

“Oh, so when you said you moved here alone, you really did mean alone… No pets or anything?” Kara was led by Lena into the living room. The entire space was very open floor. There was a sophisticated loft that looked to be Lena’s bedroom, and two doors that Kara assumed was the bathroom and either an office or spare bedroom.

Lena turned to look at Kara, giving a slight shrug. “I’m not exactly in the position to be owning a pet right now. Not that I really want one. I’m not a very big animal person. They’re adorable, don’t get me wrong, but I have control issues.” Kara hummed a chuckle, nodding her head in understanding. It didn’t surprise her that Lena liked to have things neat and orderly. Simply in the way she held herself, she looked like she was constantly in control. Almost like a professional business woman.

“Well I have a golden retriever named Zeus. He’s just a big fluffy goofball. Maybe next time I see you, you can meet him.” The last part was a little bit of a test, to see how Lena would react to the mention of seeing Kara again. To Kara’s relief, she looked happy, almost excited. “I’d enjoy that. He sounds like a beautiful dog, goofball or not.”

Lena lead Kara into the kitchen, which was just as spotless as the rest of the large apartment. She grabbed a tablet that was sitting on the counter, and started to look something up. “Would you like some wine while we cook?” Lena asked politely, noticing Kara’s glances to a large wine rack against a wall. “If it’s not too much to ask,” Kara replied softly, grinning a little. Lena waved her hand casually, walking over to the many bottles of booze. “Do you like white or red?” She asked, her hand hovering over the bottles as she was choosing. “I prefer a sweet white, if you have it?” Kara leaned against the counter, watching Lena.

Once a bottle of white was chosen, the name sounding expensive and French, Lena poured them each a glass before returning to the tablet she was scrolling through. Kara realized she was looking at recipes. “So when we first met, you mentioned you had some friends?” Lena didn’t look up from her scrolling as she took a sip of wine. Kara also took a sip, slightly grinning at the sweet fruity blend that spread across her tongue.

With a guilty pang, Kara realized that she once again forgot to tell Winn that she was meeting with Lena, and how she had promised to get them to meet. “Uhm, yeah. My sister, and our other coworker Winn are both very interested in meeting you. Also our friend James. He’s a reporter for the West Alpine Press.” Lena frowned at the mention of a reporter, but the distasteful look was gone as soon as it appeared. “They sound like a lovely bunch.”

Out of obligation, Kara was about to talk about Winn, and how nice of a guy he was. If he was serious about trying to get with Lena, she wanted her to have a good image of him in her mind. However, right as she started to speak, a ringtone chimed through the apartment. Kara recognized the tone as her sister calling her. She quickly pulled out her phone, sheepishly looking up at Lena. “Excuse me,” Kara said as she swiped to answer the call, walking to the living room.

“Hey, Alex. What’s up?” Kara felt a bad feeling in her stomach, knowing that Alex was probably calling to ask for her help with work. “Kara, I want to start off by saying that I love you, and you’re the best sister ever, and- “Kara sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “What do you need me to do?” She asked in a dull voice, frowning. “So long story short, there’s a deer stuck in a hole right by the river, and we could really use your help getting it out. It’s just me and Winn out here. Could you lend us a hand?”

Kara tried to keep her irritation out of her voice. “Fine. Where exactly are you guys?” She gritted her teeth, listening to the direction Alex was giving her. This was NOT what she had signed up to do when she joined the police force. Granted, she did feel bad for the deer, and understood that it didn’t ask to get stuck in a hole. Once Alex was done talking, and Kara hung up, she walked back over to Lena, who had paused in her scrolling to watch Kara.

“I’m so sorry to do this, but Alex and Winn need my help with something. I don’t want to drag you along, so maybe we can continue this some other night?” She was disappointed that their time had been cut short, and the frown on Lena’s face made her all the more upset. “Yeah, no problem. Let me know when your next day off is. Maybe we can do something fun like this again.” Kara smiled wide. She thought today was fun? That was a massive success in her book.

“Yeah, of course. I’ll let you know… And I’ll text you later tonight, maybe?” Lena lead Kara to her apartment door, nodding at the suggestion. “Yeah, I would like that.” Kara stepped out, but turned to look at Lena. She offered her hand, which Lena took gently, holding eye contact with Kara. “Be safe, Officer Danvers.” With that, she stepped back into her apartment, and closed the door.


	2. To New Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena finally meets Winn and James during a dinner party at Kara's. James pushes Kara into agreeing to go on a date with him, even though she's uncomfortable with it. Lena mentions something to Kara that puts a seed of doubt in her mind about herself. Kara then finds out that there are already people in town trying to turn against Lena, spreading lies about her previous life in National City.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who wrote such nice comments on the first chapter! You guys have inspired me, so I wrote the whole second chapter in less than 24 hours. Please enjoy! This chapter is a little bit more dramatic than the last, but things are moving along.
> 
> Have a good weekend!  
> -Aries

Sherriff Hank Henshaw was a terrifying man. He constantly had a stern face, and he frowned as if you had just insulted his mother. Currently, Kara sat across from him in his office, nervously fidgeting with the side seam of her pants as she waited for him to speak. Henshaw was looking at a profile of papers, his face blank and eyes cold. He had called Kara into his office ten minutes ago, but had yet to utter a single word.

Kara watched her boss carefully, trying to see if he was reading something that disappointed him, or made him angry in any way. Of course, she could get nothing out of him, which made her all the more nervous. She anxiously pushed her glasses farther up her nose, and shifted in her seat. The movement caused Henshaw to look up, lips pulling into a thin line. Kara stiffened under his gaze, a bolt of fear shooting through her.

“Remind me, Danvers… How long have you been here with us?” He closed the folder he was reading, setting it down on his desk. “Uhm. I’ve been an officer for four years, sir,” Kara replied, trying to keep her voice from shaking. Henshaw nodded slightly, looked Kara up and down, then leaned back in his seat. “And how are you liking it?” The question took Kara off guard. “Sir?” Henshaw didn’t repeat the question, simply raising his eyebrow.

“I enjoy it very much, sir. West Alpine is a wonderful town.” It wasn’t a complete lie; Kara did enjoy being a police officer, but did she enjoy being an officer for West Alpine? Not really. The people were rude, constantly gossiped, and hated anyone new to the town. Kara had already known that they weren’t friendly to outsiders, but when she quickly deduced how vile they were being towards Lena Luthor, she couldn’t help but feel disdainful towards almost everyone in the small town. Lena was one of the nicest people Kara had ever known, and she had only been properly talking to her for less than three months. She was kind, respectful, and had already had a full life of adventure and she was only 24!

Sherriff Henshaw studied Kara’s face for another long moment. “I understand that some people are starting to talk. Specifically, about you and another resident of West Alpine.” Kara furrowed her eyebrows. Were people spreading rumors about her and Lena already? She knew that talking with the new resident of the town would get some people to gossip, but did it blow up to the point where her boss had heard, and was now talking about it? “I don’t know what you’re talking about, sir.” Play dumb. That was the best move Kara could think of. If she acted guilty, then Henshaw would have something to pounce on. She wasn’t sure why she was worried about getting in trouble for something as strange as a rumor, but she’s heard of worse happening to people in this town.

“Two months ago, some people noticed you talking to a certain someone,” Henshaw paused, eyes boring into Kara’s, “They think you and James Olsen are having a secret affair.” The wheels that had been turning in Kara’s head ground to a sudden stop. What? So this meeting wasn’t about Lena, but instead James? For a moment Kara let her confusion slip, her eyebrows furrowing for a split second, before she quickly pulled herself together.

“I don’t think I have to tell you how damaging rumors can be, Danvers… I don’t like my officers being talked about. If you tell me it’s not true, then I will help you out and put a stop to them.” Was the Sherriff trying to say he cared enough about Kara that he would actively work on stopping people from talking behind her back? A small wave of affection for her terrifying boss filled Kara’s heart. “They’re not true, sir. Me and James are simple friends. We only went on a date once, and I didn’t even know it was a date, so.” Kara nervously laughed, but quickly stopped when her boss raised his eyebrow. After a pause Henshaw nodded, his stern look relaxing ever so slightly. He dismissed Kara with a wave of his hand, leaning forward to pick the file back up. As Kara was walking out of his office, she turned back to him. “Thank you, sir, for letting me know.” She smiled then closed the door.

It took a long moment for Kara’s heart to stop pounding. She honestly thought she was going to get in trouble for something. Although once she thought about it, there really wasn’t anything for her to get in trouble for. She’d kept up with her paperwork, all her patrols and tickets were clean, and no one had complained about her ever.

As Kara walked back to her desk, she made eye contact with Winn, who gave her a quizzical look. He had seen her go into the office, and looked very interested in knowing what the meeting was about. Kara sat at her desk, but turned to look at her friend. “It wasn’t anything important. Just people being people,” she said simply, shrugging. Winn hummed and nodded, understanding what she meant.

Kara turned to face her desk, but didn’t go straight to work. She tapped her finger against the desk, starting to think about what Henshaw had said. ‘I don’t think I need to tell you how damaging rumors can be’… Kara had once heard of a story about a former resident of West Alpine that once managed to get caught up in quite a bit of drama, and it ended up destroying his life.

His name was Andrew Cassie, and he had once been the owner of one of the most well-known restaurants in West Alpine; Jardin d'Eden. It was a family owned business, and the building it worked out of was as old as the town itself. Although the restaurant had changed name many times, to keep up with the new trends the town went through, it was always run by the Cassie family. They were one of the oldest families in the town. Some would even consider them one of the founding families.

Andrew Cassie had inherited the business from his father, and had been running it for about three years before the rumors started. Mr. Cassie had fallen in love with one of the cooks that worked for him. She wasn’t a minor, nor was the relationship forced onto her. However, the female cook had only recently moved to West Alpine. She had been asked by Andrew Cassie to move from her home town to West Alpine, because her skill as a cook was well known on social media, and he wanted to offer her a job.

First the rumors started small; Andrew Cassie was dating one of his employees, which wasn’t untrue. Eventually, people started to lie and say that he was showing favoritism towards his girlfriend. Then it became, “He forced himself on her, and the only reason she said yes was because he was her boss.” By the end of it, people turned not only against Andrew Cassie, but also against the girlfriend, saying that she was asking for it, and that she was only in it for the money that Andrew had.

Within the span of a few months, people went on strike against Jardin d'Eden. No one ate there anymore, forcing Andrew to shut the restaurant down due to running out of money. His personal property started to get vandalized by unknown towns folk. They keyed his car, destroyed his lawn, and spray painted ‘rapist’ across the front of his home. The girlfriend was also victimized to the point where she was put into the hospital due to being physically attacked by a group of ex-coworkers. They were angry that she had caused their place of work to be shut down. In the end, Andrew and his partner ended up fleeing the town in the middle of the night, leaving the home and Jardin d'Eden abandoned.

Kara nibbled her lip as she blankly stared at the grain of the wooden desk top. Was she afraid about the rumors about her and James? Not exactly. Sherriff Henshaw said he would help her by putting them to rest. She was honestly more worried about what people would say about Lena if or when people started talking about her. They already disliked her for being new to town, but Kara could tell that there was something Lena was hiding. If the town figured out whatever she was keeping a secret, they would tear her apart. Lena didn’t deserve that. This was her new start in life, and Kara didn’t want it to be ruined all because of the small town mentality.

“So, do you have any plans this weekend?” Winn’s voice snapped Kara out of her thoughts. She spun in her chair to look at Winn. “Not really… Why?” He looked like he was planning something, and that something obviously involved Kara. “I thought maybe we could hang out… And you could invite Lena, possibly?” Winn tried to play off the question casually, but his eager stare gave away his true plan.

Kara groaned dramatically, leaning back in her chair and throwing her head back to look at the ceiling. Ever since Winn learned that Kara had been regularly talking with Lena- although it was mostly over text due to their schedules never lining up –he kept pestering Kara to help him meet her. This week had been particularly worse, because Kara made the mistake of mentioning that she had this weekend off, and was thinking of doing something with Lena. She had said it to Alex, but Winn overheard it, and practically screamed how he also had that weekend off, and that he had no plans.

To be fair, Kara had agreed to help Winn get in touch with Lena, but every time she was talking with her, Kara completely forgot that Winn existed. She was so focused on their current conversations that her promise was miles away in her brain. To be honest, there was a small part of her that wanted to keep Lena to herself. In West Alpine there was some sort of mob mentality; everybody had to have the same friend as everyone. It was kind of nice having her own separate friend.

“If it comes up that Lena wants to hang out, I’ll suggest we do something together with you. Will that keep you from pestering me?” Kara looked at Winn, who didn’t look satisfied. “Why don’t you just suggest it now?” He raised his eyebrow, and frowned. “Because I don’t want to make her feel obligated to hang out. It’s much more comfortable when the topic of hanging out comes naturally in a conversation. You don’t want her to force herself to like you, do you?” Still, Winn didn’t look convinced. “I don’t think she’ll have to force herself to like me, because I’m a nice, very likeable person.”

Kara was running out of excuses. She didn’t want to insult Winn by making it sound like he wasn’t a nice guy- he was very nice, and very fun to talk to –but at the same time she didn’t want to push Lena. The friendship was still new, and she didn’t want to risk breaking it. Unfortunately, Kara could think of no response to Winn’s argument. He had a right to meet her, and it was wrong of her to gate keep Lena.

“Fine! I’ll text her later,” Kara said with exasperation, throwing her hands up into the air. “No, not later! Text her now.” Winn stared Kara down, unblinking. Kara kept eye contact for a long moment before dramatically sighing, looking away to grab her cell phone in her belt. She heard Winn cheer, rolling her eyes as she typed out a message.

‘Hey, are you busy this weekend? Me and my coworker, Winn, are planning on hanging out. I was wondering if you’d like to join us?’

Kara stuck her tongue out at Winn as she sat her phone down, turning to continue working. It was already early evening on a Thursday, so she knew Lena was home. Surprisingly, it only took about ten minutes before she got a text back.

‘Sounds interesting… What exactly are you planning? I believe I’m free.’

‘Probably an early dinner at my place on Saturday. Winn likes to play board games.’

‘Okay, I’ll be there. Would you like me to bring anything?’

‘Just yourself, lol. Here’s the time, and my address…’

Kara turned and told Winn about the plans, scoffing as Winn literally jumped from his chair and did a fist pump into the air. The action caught Henshaw’s attention through his office windows. He looked up from his work, and visibly frowned at Winn, who instantly shrunk into his seat. Kara quickly acted as if she was typing away on her computer, nervously glancing up at her boss. “Thank you, Kara. You’re the best,” She heard Winn say in back of her. She didn’t turn to him, instead giving a casual thumb up behind her desk, so Henshaw didn’t see it.

Once she finished up a few reports, and made sure everything was closed properly, Kara left for the evening. She got into her car, noticing that Alex had texted her a few minutes prior. She checked it before starting her vehicle, seeing that Alex was also wondering what Kara was doing that weekend. Alex worked, but Kara had mentioned that she might possibly make plans. She replied about how she’s setting Winn and Lena up to meet.

When Kara got home, she saw that Alex had replied, saying;

‘You should make it a double date, and invite James. It might be awkward if you were third wheeling.’

Kara frowned at the text. She wasn’t third wheeling. She’s the one who’s setting the whole thing up, for goodness sake! Still, the comment planted a small seed of doubt in her mind. What if Winn and Lena did hit it off? She didn’t want to be pushed out of the conversation. Maybe having a fourth person was a good idea. Kara knew from experience that it was very hard to keep everyone evenly entertained when there was an odd amount of people. There was always someone who was left out.

She didn’t know why she was so reluctant to invite more people. Kara was a very social person, and normally she’d jump at the chance to have all her friends together. Eventually Kara decided that the more people that were there, the better. She texted James, telling him about the get together. He replied within minutes excitedly agreeing. Kara went to bed, already starting to plan out exactly what they were going to do when the evening came. She fell asleep with a long list in her head.

**********

There was a knock on Kara’s door, Zeus going wild and barking for a few seconds. Kara hurried out of the kitchen, hushing Zeus as she went to go answer the door. Winn stood there, looking incredibly nervous. He wore a plaid button up, with a tie, and nice pants. Kara looked Winn up and down, raising her eyebrow. “You look like you forgot to get a prom tuxedo, so you improvised.” She laughed a little, watching Winn’s face get red. “I’m trying to look presentable!”

“Get rid of the tie, maybe that will help?” Kara stepped to the side, allowing Winn to walk into her home. He hastily pulled his tie off, but in the process ruffled his hair. “Wait, no, come here,” Kara said, reaching over to fix the fluffed up tuffs. Winn sighed, exasperated, but held still and allowed Kara to groom him. Once she was done, she took a step back and gave a small nod. “That’ll work… But I’d also like to point out that you’re almost an hour early.”

Winn looked at his watch, eyes wide as he realized that he had in fact shown up 45 minutes before the scheduled time. “Oh shoot. I am so sorry, Kara. I’m just so nervous.” His face got impossibly redder, and Kara could tell he was spiraling into a pit of anxiety. “Hey, it’s no problem. It just means that you’re going to be helping me finish up cooking dinner.” Winn looked grateful, nodding eagerly. Kara took him into the kitchen, and started to direct him in what to do.

30 minutes later, there was another knock on the door. “Come on in!” Kara called out loudly to whoever was there. She was just finishing up the last dish as Winn set the table. Kara could hear someone carefully open the door, Zeus barking excitedly. “We’re in the kitchen,” Kara guided, adding on a, “Zeus, come!” Her silly puppy bounded into the room, closely followed by the sound of heels on the wooden floor. Kara looked up to see Lena stepping into the doorway.

She wore black pants, with a flowing silk blouse the color of the night sky. It dipped a little low, but didn’t show off very much. Her hair was pulled up into a tight pony tail, and her lipstick was a little darker today. Kara couldn’t help but slowly look Lena up and down, realizing that she had been holding her breath. Lena looked beautiful, a small smile on her face as Kara’s eyes met hers. “Hey, Lena!” Kara stepped away from the counter, instantly forgetting what she was doing. She took quick steps over to her new friend, her smile wide and welcoming.

Kara would have gone in to gently hug her, but noticed that Lena was holding a covered dish. “What’s this?” She asked, silently offering to take whatever it was. “I know you said not to bring anything, but I felt awkward coming empty handed. I uhm… Brought brownies. I hope you don’t mind.” Lena did this small shrug, shyly smiling to Kara. “Oh, that’s wonderful! Thank you so much. I’ll just put these in the kitchen till we’re ready for them.” She couldn’t help but peak under the tinfoil that cover the dessert, her eyes lighting up. “Oh wow, these look amazing, Lena!”

Kara looked up from the brownies and back at Lena, who had an odd look on her face. The two of them froze for a second, Kara looking confused while Lena seemed to be unreadable. What snapped them back to attention was Winn softly clearing his throat. Kara quickly looked to her coworker, gasping as she realized she had completely forgotten he was there.

“Oh, I’m sorry! This is my coworker, Winn. He’s the one I told you about.” She set the brownies down, watching as Winn scrambled past the dining room chairs, his hand extended out to Lena. “Hi, hello! It’s so good to finally meet you,” Winn said in a very fast voice. Lena smiled and shook his hand gently. “I remember you. I saw you outside of the school the first week I was teaching there. You had pulled over one of my students for speeding.” Winn laughed anxiously, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Yeah, that was me. I’ve been interested in meeting you ever since…” Winn trailed off, his sentence dying in his throat. He looked frantically to Kara, who realized that he didn’t know what to say. “Winn’s been a police officer for four years and two months,” Kara offered, not entirely sure what to say either. Lena slowly nodded, looking amused at Winn. “That’s fascinating… I heard a few weeks ago you helped save a deer out of a sink hole?”

As Winn nervously told the story of the stuck deer, there was another knock on the door. Kara excused herself, going to see who it was. James stood there on the porch, smiling wide when he saw Kara. “Hey! Am I the last one here? Sorry I’m late. I got sucked into this article I’m working on.” Kara scoffed at the excuse, beckoning for James to follow her.

Winn just finished up his story, his face lighting up when he saw James. “Hey, you’re here!” Lena politely smiled to James, who held his hand out upon seeing her. “Hey, I’m James. It’s nice to meet you. Kara’s been telling us how we needed to meet you.” Lena smirked, glancing to Kara as she shook James’ hand, saying how it was also nice to meet him. Kara lead everyone to the kitchen table, allowing them to find their seats as she grabbed all the food.

Winn sat next to Lena on one side of the table, and James sat across from him on the other side, leaving Kara to sit across from Lena. Everyone complimented Kara on how good the food looked, causing her to blush and bashfully thank them. They all passed the dishes around, grabbing as much food as they wanted. Kara took huge portions of each dish, which James teased her for. “This woman can eat anything she wants and still stay as fit as a body builder. It’s unfair; some of us have to work for our muscle!” Kara scoffed and playfully swatted his arm. “I’ve just got a high metabolism, alright? I can’t help it!”

The group playfully talked, Lena seemingly fitting into the conversation easily. She was a people person, Kara could tell, although it was obvious to her that Lena was holding back. She wasn’t incredibly open, sticking to recent stories in West Alpine, compared to stories about her home. Kara didn’t push her, figuring she would open up when she wanted to.

There was a slight lull in the conversation, where everyone focused on their food. Kara was grabbing a small portion of seconds when Lena casually asked James what he did for work. He explained that he was a journalist and newspaper editor for the towns weekly newspaper company. Lena visibly paused as she sipped her drink, her eyes darting from James to Kara. “And yet you’re friends with a cop?” Everyone went silent for a moment, before James awkwardly snorted, glancing to Kara. “Uh, yeah actually. I’m friends with all the cops in this town. Why?”

Kara could feel the tension in the air as Lena sat down her drink. “Well… Where I come from, journalist aren’t exactly the most upstanding citizens,” Lena answered simply. Kara watched as an air of power seemed to swell around Lena, as if she was putting on armor. She seemed to realize that her words rubbed James the wrong way, but instead of backing down, she prepared for a fight.

James furrowed his eyebrows, and tilted his head. Before he could say anything rude, Kara put a hand on his arm. “James actually helps people see what we’re doing in town. If there’s ever a disaster that we helped fix, James brings it to attention for the whole town to see. He never criticizes us, unlike reporters back in the big city.” Lena’s eyes broke away from James, landing on Kara. She could feel the weight of her gaze practically pressing down on her shoulders, but Lena quickly softened. “Yeah, James’ is a good guy. There’s no need to worry about him. He doesn’t believe in slandering someone’s name for attention,” Winn added, glancing between James and Lena.

“Ah… Well I didn’t mean any offense. I’m just not used to small town etiquette, apparently.” Lena relaxed, taking her glass and sipping it once more. The way she reacted, with noticeable disgust in her eyes, when James said he was a reporter… It made Kara wonder what exactly Lena went through to make her dislike reporters so much.

“Well, how about we bring out those amazing brownies you brought, Lena?” Kara stood up, quickly grabbing everyone’s plate. She glanced at Lena, and noticed that odd look on her face once again. Why was she making that face? Did Kara say something wrong? No one else seemed to notice it, so Kara didn’t pause. She took all the dishes to the sink, rinsing them off quickly before going to grab the brownies and fresh plates.

The tension seemed to be gone, James switching the subject. Everyone got their brownie, although Lena only nibbled hers. Kara was worried that maybe she was tired of the party, and wanted to go home. However, she laughed at Winn’s jokes, and positively responded to James’ stories, so Kara didn’t think on it too much. It was probably just her anxiety making her see things. She wanted Lena to like her friends, so that maybe they could be her friends, too. Kara knew how lonely it was to only talk to one person after a while.

“Hey Kara, we should play some games!” Winn said excitedly, breaking Kara’s line of thought. She blinked, trying to process what he had said for a moment. “Oh, yeah, right. What game were you thinking?” Winn smiled like a puppy, quickly getting up to go and grab the game he wanted. Kara took that moment to fully clean off the kitchen table. Lena helped her, standing and walking some of the dishes to the sink for her.

With a far enough distance from the dining room, Kara was able to turn to Lena and quietly ask, “Are you okay?” Lena looked surprised by the question, glancing between the dining room and Kara. “Uhm, yeah… I just… I think I offended James with my comment. I didn’t mean to be rude. I spoke without thinking, and I feel really bad.” Kara gave Lena a reassuring smile. She reached forward, and gently put a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, don’t worry about it. James is a big boy; he can handle it. No one is upset with you, trust me. We all know you’re not used to our ‘small town ways’, so we don’t expect you to know about how our news system works or anything like that. We have some really weird silent rules hear, I realize.”

Lena gave Kara a genuine smile, glancing to the hand on her shoulder. “Thank you, Kara… That really helps.” Kara’s mind froze for a moment. Something sounded off in that sentence. What was drawing her attention?... Kara… Kara? Did she just say her name? A light bulb went off in Kara’s brain. That’s why Lena was giving her those weird looks! She had said her name aloud for the first time! It’s weird to have someone switch from ‘Ms. Luthor’ to ‘Lena’ so quickly. Once she processed why the sentence sounded weird, her attention was then drawn to the way Lena said ‘Kara’. Was it normal to find joy in how someone makes your name sound coming from their mouth?

Kara grinned wide, nodding to Lena. “Of course! That’s what I’m here for; food and reassurance.” Lena laughed her musical laugh before turning to return to the dinner table. Winn had already set up the game, looking excitedly to Lena. “Want to be on a team together? I can show you how the game works.” Lena grinned and nodded, returning to her spot next to Winn. Kara sat next to James, smiling at him. “Looks like we’re on a team together, then.”

For the rest of the night, the group played the game. Lena learned the rules surprisingly fast, quickly figuring out the best strategy. Her and Winn won the first round thanks to her quick learning, so on the second round James and Kara worked a lot better with each other. They ended up easily winning the second round, and for a moment Kara thought Lena purposely allowed them tow win. Lena took the loss gracefully, but Winn got so worked up, his competitive nature getting the best of him. “That’s not fair! You two work amazing together, you’re like a power couple!”

Winn didn’t seem to notice the tension his comment created between Kara and James. Kara nervously laughed before quickly taking a large gulp of her drink. James just scoffed and shifted in his seat. Kara didn’t know why she felt so uncomfortable. The comment should have been a compliment, but instead it made her cringe on the inside. It reminded her about the awkward ‘date’ her and James had a few months ago.

The game continued despite Kara still feeling uncomfortable by Winn’s comment. She stopped paying attention who won and who lost, her mind struggling to get back into the festive mood. It took a few more rounds before the rest of the group seemed to get tired. It was later at night, the moon high in the dark sky. They talked for a bit more before James decided it was time for him to leave. He bid everyone a good night, but before walking out completely, he asked Kara if they could talk outside. Although confused, she agreed.

They stepped out onto Kara’s front porch, Kara standing in the closed doorway. “What’s up?” Her fingers fidgeted with the back of her shirt as she crossed her arms behind her, leaning slightly against the door. “I’m sorry if this is bad timing, but… I was just wondering… Would you ever go on an actual date with me? Where we both know it’s an actual date, not just one of us assuming.” James chuckled at the last part, obviously trying to keep the mood light hearted.

Kara didn’t respond straight away. Her mind jumped to the other day, when Henshaw told her that some people thought her and James were already dating. She would be breaking her word to Henshaw about them not being together. Although Kara figured she could just say that a date is not actually dating.

Why was she so reluctant to give James a chance? He was a good looking guy, he was sweet, and he obviously liked Kara. There was no obvious reason why she should deny him… But yet, it still felt wrong. James was her friend, and that was all. Whenever she tried to picture them together- holding hands or kissing –it looked fake. Like it wasn’t actually them in her head.

“I don’t know… I guess I just could never think of you romantically?” Kara shrugged a little bit. Her heart was beating hard in her chest, but it wasn’t because she was excited. She could feel her anxiety rising with each second, her eyes studying James’ face. He didn’t look upset at the answer. Instead, he seemed more persistent. “If you did manage to think of me in that way, would you agree to go out with me?” He took a half step forward, and Kara pushed back into the door, her heart beating faster to the point where it sounded like thunder in her ears, and her breathing started to become erratic. “I don’t know, James…” She didn’t want to be rude and turn him down flat, but she also didn’t want to be in this current situation.

“Come on… One date. Let’s try to go on one date together. If you hate it, then I’ll back off… But if you like it, maybe we could give us a try?” He gave Kara a small, hopeful smile. Kara’s mind jumped to the thought of Winn and Lena. Winn was taking a leap, and putting himself out there, so maybe she should as well? “Okay, yeah, fine. One date.” Kara tried not to frown, but she also wasn’t very ecstatic. It was way out of her comfort zone, and still felt wrong deep down. James didn’t seem to notice that Kara was still very reluctant. He smiled wide, clapping his hands together. “Great! I heard there’s going to be a fresh market tomorrow evening. Let’s go there together!”

After agreeing, and setting up a time with James, Kara walked back into her home. Her gaze was on the floor as she closed the door behind her, sighing heavily. “Is everything okay?” Lena’s voice made Kara jump. She looked up quickly, realizing that Lena was standing across the room, a concerned look on her face. She glanced past Kara, to where James and her had been standing outside a few moments ago. Kara pushed a smile onto her face, nodding with fake enthusiasm. “Yeah, everything’s fine! Where’s Winn?”

Lena didn’t look convinced, staring at Kara for a moment with a slight frown. “He went to the bathroom. Said something about how every time he drove home from your house, he always had to pee.” Kara was grateful Lena didn’t push the subject, instead answering her question casually. Kara laughed at the response, nodding. “Sounds like Winn… What do you think of him?”

“He’s nice… Goofy, just like you described him.” Lena gave a small shrug, but was casually grinning. “Yeah, that’s his main personality trait. ‘Goofy’. He’s been pestering me for weeks, asking me to introduce him to you. I’m glad you were able to come over. It made things fun!” Kara chuckled, glancing over when she heard Winn walking out of the bathroom. “Well, it’s been fun, but I think it’s time for me to go… Lena, are you heading out as well?”

Lena politely smiled, but shook her head. “I was going to hang around for a few more minutes. It was lovely meeting you, though.” She gave Winn a quick, one armed hug. Winn’s face lit up, smiling like a doofus. He enthusiastically left, waving to the two women as he closed the door.

“Do you want me to help you clean up?” Lena offered, gesturing to the kitchen. Kara quickly waved her off, shaking her head. “No, it’s alright. I specifically made it so I don’t have too many dishes to clean. Thank you, though.” There was a pause, where Kara wondered why Lena wanted to hang around a little bit longer. “Would you like to sit?” Kara gestured to the living room, which had two chairs and a couch. Lena nodded, allowing Kara to lead the way. Kara sat at one side of the couch, Lena carefully sitting on the other side.

“Did you have a good night?” Kara asked, her casual grin stretched lazily across her face. “Yeah, it was fun! Dinner was amazing, by the way.” Kara blushed at the compliment, causing Lena to chuckle. “It’s the least I could do. Like I said, Winn was begging to meet you, and I figured it’d be boring if it was just the two of us all the time.” An odd smirk passed over Lena’s face for a split second before she shrugged. “I enjoy spending time with just you, but your friends were also nice to talk to.”

Lena… Enjoyed spending time with JUST Kara?... It took a moment for Kara to process the off-handed comment, but when it settled in that Lena actually liked being around her, it made her smile wide. Her mind went back to the fresh market that was happening tomorrow. It was an occasional thing the town did every few months or so. It was always beautiful, and made Kara feel like she was somewhere different. This fresh market was going to be themed off of a ‘winter wonderland’ this year. It sounded cheesy, but Kara knew it would look good, and be fun no matter what.

She wanted Lena to come, to see the brilliant lights and all the things the town had to offer. It was one of the few things that made Kara glad she was working in West Alpine; the people always banded together to do these types of things. She knew she couldn’t fully invite Lena, because James would probably think she wanted to talk with her more than him- which wasn’t completely untrue –but she could simply mention that there was a fresh market tomorrow.

“So James was talking about the fresh market tomorrow, and how it’s going to be winter themed. Maybe you should go check it out, see how beautiful they make that section of town look.” Lena grinned for a moment, making a cute face as she thought, softly humming. “Hmm… Will you be there?” Her green eyes locked with Kara’s blue ones, and all of a sudden Kara was anxious to tell her about the date James was taking her on. It felt as if Lena was trying to intimidate her into saying something, like she knew Kara wasn’t telling her everything. Luckily, Kara had to deal with Henshaw on a regular basis, so she was used to such an intense stare… Still, though, it was difficult not to start babbling about the date James set up for them.

“Uh. Yeah, I’ll be there. James invited me to go, so I figured ‘why not?’.” She nervously chuckled, looking away from Lena’s intense stare. Suddenly an idea came to mind; Lena might not want to go alone, and that’s why she was asking if Kara would be going. “Why don’t you invite Winn? I saw him give you his card after our games. Maybe it would be fun?” Kara gave a little shrug, looking down to her pants. She didn’t notice the slight frown on Lena’s face. “Yeah, maybe it will be.”

There was a moment of silence between the two, where Kara finally looked up from her pants. By then Lena’s frown was gone, and she was standing up. “Well, it was lovely that you invited me here tonight, but it’s getting a little late now.” Kara smiled and also stood. She led Lena to the door. Lena stepped out onto the porch, turning to look back at Kara, who stood in the doorway. Kara didn’t notice how much more comfortable she felt in this situation, compared to when James put her in the same position.

Lena’s face looked worried as she looked back at Kara. “Are you sure you’re okay? Something seems to be bothering you.” There was a slight frown on her face, and Kara could see her eyes searching all over, trying to find an answer. “Yeah, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me, Lena.” Kara made herself smile, happy to see that Lena no longer flinched when she said her name. She had been making it apparent to call Lena by her first name for a majority of the night, so that she wouldn’t find it so weird.

Lena sighed, but matched Kara’s smile all the same. She took a step forward, and hugged Kara tightly. It wasn’t the one armed hug she gave Winn, but instead a full embrace. “If I go tomorrow, maybe I’ll see you and James. Have a good night, Kara.” Lena didn’t let go straight away, squeezing Kara before taking a step back. “Drive safe. The road down can be kind of scary in the dark.” Kara watched Lena walk to her sporty car, stopping to wave before getting into it. Kara didn’t go back inside until she could no longer see Lena’s red tail lights, watching them disappear off into the distance.

**********

How much effort should Kara put into this? She had been staring down at the outfits laid on her bed for at least ten minutes. She had a nice dress, versus a casual dress, verses a pair of pants and a blouse. Kara knew that it was going to be colder tonight. It was almost fall, and West Alpine would get well below 40 degrees.

Kara stared at the outfits for a few minutes longer before sighing, and grabbing the casual dress. She could wear a jacket, and if she really did get too cold, she’ll just end the date early. Hanging the dress up on her door, Kara went and took a shower. She shaved- out of habit, not because she was doing it for anyone –and washed her long blond hair with her favorite scented shampoo; raspberry sorbet.

When she got out, she dried her hair with a blow dryer, and combed it into a tight bun, with a small bump in the front. Her dress was very form fitting, black all over, and had a high collar that went up her to mid neck. It was sleeveless, so Kara grabbed a warm, matching long coat to wear over it. She took a moment to look in her full length mirror after putting on some light make-up, giving a satisfying nod. She looked presentable, and that was all that mattered.

Kara texted James, saying she was ready whenever he was. He had convinced her to let him drive them, even though he had to pass the fresh market in order to get to her house, so it was counterproductive in Kara’s mind. Still, James had insisted, and she didn’t feel like arguing over something so simple. James texted her that he would be over shortly. As she waited, Kara made sure Zeus had his dinner early, giving him lots of pats while trying to not get dog hair on her dress.

She heard the sound of tires on her gravel drive way, telling her that James was pulling up. She took one more deep breath, telling herself that there was no harm in at least trying to have fun. She didn’t want to make the night miserable, and maybe they really would enjoy themselves.

Walking out of her house, Kara smiled to James, who had just gotten out of his car. It was starting to get chilly, and Kara was instantly thankful that she put on a coat. “Wow,” he said in awe, watching Kara lock her house before walking down to meet him, “You look beautiful.” Kara smiled politely, looking James up and down. He also looked nice, wearing pants and a collared sweater under his own jacket. “You look nice, too. Are we ready to head out?” Kara asked, walking around the car. “Oh, wait!” James practically ran to grab Kara’s door before she could.

He smiled as she laughed, thanking him as she slid into her seat. James closed her door before walking around to the driver’s side, carefully backing out of the drive way. They started off with small talk, James asking Kara how her morning went. It was a just before dusk, so Kara had most of the day to herself. She hadn’t really done much, so she just shrugged and answered that it was relaxing.

Kara could tell James was trying to keep the conversation going, talking about how he wasn’t going to wear the shirt he was currently wearing, but he had accidentally spilt water all over himself a few minutes before coming over. Kara laughed at the story, but it just felt… Off. As if James was trying too hard, and she wasn’t trying at all. She knew she should be thinking of this as a date, but it was difficult to do so when you’ve only really thought of someone as a friend for so long. She couldn’t switch gears that quickly.

James kept up most of the conversation as they drove, and Kara did her best to talk and follow along. Eventually, they pulled up to the fresh market, and Kara went silent. As always, the market didn’t fail to impress her. Everything seemed to be covered in white, with fake wooden ice sculptures and false snow that blew down from the rooves of the buildings lining the long line of stalls. There were sparkling wreaths, and glowing hanging fairy lights scattered over the scene. Kara’s jaw was ajar in childish awe, eyes wide as she took everything in.

As soon as James was parked, Kara was out of the car- ignoring James’ protests to let him open her door –walking straight over to the market stalls. She no longer cared that it was cold, or that she was on an awkward date with her friend. The market now had her full attention.

The area was relatively busy, with a decent sized crowed. Kara paused to allow James to catch up, not wanting to lose him in the waves of people walking all around. She went up to the first set up she saw, smiling wide and pointing out all the fascinating things she saw. Although there was a lot of food and farmed goods there, most of it was crafted items such as jewelry, and handmade journals.

Kara was so excited about all the stuff to look at, that she had completely forgotten her former anxiety, enamored by the talent of the towns people. She found a necklace that she loved, happily buying it for herself, despite James offering to get it for her. She also made a point to stop by the candy stall, remembering that last time she went, they had these wonderful flavored candy canes. There were over two dozen different flavors, and Kara had to stop herself from buying them all. Instead, she got six, opening one straight away, and putting the others in her coat pocket.

The two of them continued to walk around the fresh market, Kara happily sucking on her candy as she looked around. She still wasn’t even really thinking of James, or the date until she felt something graze her hand. James reached forward and intertwined his fingers with hers, smiling down at her. Anxiously, Kara looked away, blushing out of embarrassment. James must have thought she was just flattered and shy, because he chuckled and squeezed her hand.

It was the most awkward Kara had ever felt. James’ large, warm hand felt wrong in hers. She wanted to pull away, feeling extremely uncomfortable, but when she tried to James thought it was her trying to get his attention. They paused in their walking, James looking down at her and smiling quizzically. Kara opened her mouth to ask that he didn’t hold her hand, when all of a sudden she heard her name being called.

Kara looked around, trying to find the general direction she heard someone yell. “Hey, Kara, over here!” It was Winn’s voice. Kara turned and found Winn waving a hand over his head. He was beaming, turning to talk to someone next to him. That’s when Kara noticed Lena, their eyes meeting. Kara’s first instinct was to rip her hand from James’, but she could tell that his grip was too tight, and it would be extremely noticeable. She saw Lena’s gaze flick between her captured hand, and her anxious smile.

Winn and Lena walked over to Kara and James, Winn walking a little too bouncily. “Hey, I didn’t know you two were going to be here!” James smiled wide, laughing and playfully patting Winn on the shoulder. “Yeah, Lena texted me last night, saying that you two were going to the market, and that we should go and make it into another group hang out like yesterday.” Kara could tell that Winn was just happy that Lena had simply texted him. “Now all we’re missing is Alex,” Winn pointed out, laughing. He was so excited that he didn’t even notice James holding Kara’s hand.

“You were right, Kara; the market is very beautiful. With the sun setting, it makes the decorations really pop,” Lena pointed out, looking all around them. Kara smiled and nodded, glancing at some of the stands. “Let’s look around some more. I wanted to show Winn that cool candy shop.” Although looking a little disappointed that this was now a group activity, James agreed. Still, however, he didn’t let go of Kara, to her dissatisfaction.

They walked to the candy store, Winn instantly gasping and running all around it to see all the cool sweets they sold. At one point, Kara felt James’ hand relaxing, and she had an idea. There was a massive bowl of wrapped toffee that would easily need to be held in two hands in order to lift. Kara turned to it, slipping her hand suddenly out of James’, grabbing the bowl and hoisting it into the air. “Winn! Come look at all this toffee! There’s so much!” Her yelling caught her groups attention, Winn instantly bounding over while Lena strolled along.

Kara set down the bowl, happy to simply have both her hands back. Of course Winn also tried to lift the bowl, struggling slightly. Still, he pushed through, obviously trying to see if it would impress Lena. She just laughed, looking amused as his strained face. “Don’t hurt yourself! That would be an awkward story,” Lena pointed out with a smile. Realizing that it would be awkward to call in sick to work, all because he hurt his shoulder or back trying to lift a simple bowl of candy while trying to impress a girl, he set the candy down.

Winn moved on to look at something else, calling James over to look at it with him. Kara hugged herself, watching James walk away. “Hey, I saw this one shop on the way in. Want to go look at it?” Lena asked softly, gesturing away from the candy shop. Kara jumped at the chance to get away, nodding and walking off with Lena. “So you took my advice and texted Winn, then?” Kara smiled, looking over to Lena. She just then noticed that Lena was at least two inches shorter than her, and for some reason she found that adorable.

“What can I say? I didn’t want to invite myself into you and James’ night, but the fresh market sounded interesting. I enjoyed Winn’s company last night, so I decided he would be fun to come here with. It was by chance that we saw you two.” There was an odd look on Lena’s face, almost like she was hiding a smile. Something told Kara that it wasn’t exactly chance that lead them all together. Was Lena actively looking for Kara? Regardless, Kara was simply thankful to not be alone with James. It was too awkward, and she wasn’t enjoying herself with him.

“Well I’m happy to see you. These sorts of things are always fun to do with friends. I wish Alex was off tonight so that she could come.” Kara gave a small shrug. “I hope you find time to hang out with your sister. You two seem very close.” Lena stopped, gestruring at a stall that sold elegant dresses. “This is what I wanted to look at. Your beautiful dress reminded me of when I passed by them. You look amazing, by the way.” Lena smiled that sweet, genuine smile that Kara seemed to always long for. Kara blushed and smiled back, a warm feeling spreading through her chest. “Thank you. I didn’t know how nicely I should have dressed up, so I just went with a middle option.”

“You chose perfectly… James is a very lucky man.” Kara’s head bolted up, and she looked over to Lena. She wasn’t looking at Kara, but there had been a testing tone in her voice, like she was trying to see what Kara would say. “Oh, no, we’re not… No. This was James’ idea. He wanted to try and… Uhm…” Why was Kara trying to persuade Lena that they weren’t together? Was it her first instinct to assume that someone was trying to get something to gossip about? Lena wasn’t like that; she wasn’t like the other people in this terrible town.

Lena turned to look at Kara, eyebrow raised. “So this isn’t a date between you two?” Kara frowned, shifting uncomfortably. “Well… It’s complicated.” She looked around the stall, her fingers fiddling with the hem of her coat. Lena noticed her anxious glancing, also taking a look around the shop. She gently reached forward, putting a hand on Kara’s bicep so that she could lead her out of the shop, and into a less crowded area. “Kara, you’ve looked miserable this entire time. Even last night, after you talked with James, you looked like you had a bad taste in your mouth. What’s wrong? You can tell me, I’ll listen.”

Kara felt a rush of gratitude for Lena, but she still felt uncomfortable talking in public. “I’m just… Maybe we can talk about this some other time? It’s hard to explain, and I’m worried the guys will come over in the middle the story.” Lena frowned, glancing in the general direction James and Winn were in. “Did you drive here?” The question caught Kara off guard. For a moment she thought Lena was going to try and push her to speak, so it surprised her when she didn’t. “Uh, no… James picked me up.”

“Good, then I’ll drive you to my place, and James and take Winn home; I drove him here.” Without even waiting for Kara to agree, Lena turned and started to walk in the direction of where her car was. Kara was grateful for the change in plans, but she didn’t want to be rude and just leave the boys. “Wait, hang on! I think we should at least let the guys know about the change of plans.” Lena turned and looked at Kara, giving her a ‘you’re too nice for your own good’ look. Regardless, she nodded and followed Kara back to where Winn and James were shopping.

“Oh, hey, there you guys are,” James said with a smile when he noticed Kara. “Hey, so Lena offered that I go home with her, so we’re going to head out. Winn’s going to need a ride back to his place, and I figured you could do that?” Kara wanted to leave as fast as possible, ready to be out of this incredibly awkward situation. James looked confused, and a little upset, but he didn’t put up a fight. “Uh… Okay. Well I’ll talk to you later, then.” Suddenly, he was leaning down, eyes locked on Kara’s lips.

Kara took one big step backwards, trying to hide the shock on her face. “Yeah, great, talk with you tomorrow,” She said frantically, attempting to smile as she turned and practically ran back to Lena, who was explaining the situation to Winn a few feet away. Winn looked disappointed, frowning at Kara when she showed up. Lena was also frowning, but not at Kara, looking past her at James. “Ready to go?” Lena asked, visibly noticing the discomfort on Kara’s face. She nodded quickly, trying to keep her walking pace slow, so that Lena didn’t have to run to keep up with her.

It only took the girls a few minutes to get to Lena’s apartment, considering the fresh market was only a few blocks away. Once they were safe inside, Lena offered to pour them a glass of wine. “Do you have anything stronger?” Kara watched Lena chuckle, but nod. She went through her kitchen, pulling out gin, tonic water, and two glasses that she filled with ice. Kara was surprised by the mixed drink, but grateful that Lena understood.

“So, will you explain to me why you dodged away from that kiss earlier with James?” Lena looked at Kara through her eyelashes, eyebrow raising slightly. Kara blushed red enough to match Lena’s lipstick. So she had noticed what James had tried to do. Kara sighed heavily, putting her hands in her face, and leaning forward to rest her elbows on the counter. She didn’t even know what to say, or where to start.

“Do you not like him?” Lena asked as she pushed the mixed drink towards Kara, who gratefully took it. It was strong, but not too strong. Enough to get Kara to smile a little into her cup. She took an extra sip before setting her drink down. The two of them were still standing in the kitchen, so to buy herself a little more time, Kara suggested they go sit down.

Once sitting in Lena’s living room, Kara finally explained the situation. “I have so many reasons to give James a chance; he’s sweet, kind, smart, and good looking. It’s almost impossible to find someone with all of those traits at once! Alex keeps telling me I need to give him a chance, that we’d be a great fit together, and that there’s no reason for us to not be a thing.” Kara paused to sip her drink, trying to see if Lena was agreeing or disagreeing with her. Unfortunately, Lena’s face was unreadable as she simply watched Kara.

“About three months ago, James had asked me out to dinner. I thought it was just a thing between friends, but turns out he thought it was more. I told him I didn’t think of him like that, and he seemed to have let it go. He even apologized about the misunderstanding while we were at that bonfire party a few weeks ago. I thought we were good, but then last night he suggested we actually give it a try… I should have been excited, at one point in the past I would have actually been happy that James liked me, but for some reason I can’t wrap my brain around seeing him as anything other than a friend.”

Kara huffed, and pinched the bridge of her nose. She slumped backwards, resting her head on the back of the couch she was sitting on. Lena was silent for a moment, and at first Kara thought she wasn’t going to say anything at all. “Society has this weird standard, where it thinks that if you’re friends with someone from the opposite sex then you should automatically consider being in a relationship with them. In reality, that’s not really how attraction works. Yes, James might have all these wonderful qualities that would help make an easy relationship in life, but none of those qualities matter if there’s no bond.

“You don’t have any love connection with James, which is why it feels so wrong to consider him as a life partner. Not everyone can see or understand that, which is why Alex and others are probably pushing you to date James. They think it’s a simple ‘male plus female equals love’ formula, but that’s not true at all.” Lena had a soft look on her face as she spoke. She was sitting sideways on the couch to face Kara, her legs pulled almost completely under her, and her arm wresting across the back of the couch, as if she was reaching towards Kara.

“I don’t think I’ve ever felt that sort of connection with a guy. I’ve never had a serious boyfriend. I’d become friends with a boy, and as soon as my sister or someone else suggested that we get together, I’d make up these romantic feelings for him. As soon as we got together, or did anything remotely close to something couples did, I would absolutely hate it.” Kara frowned, looking down to her lap. She took another large gulp of her drink, squeezing her eyes closed. She felt lost, and frustrated.

Lena made a soft humming sound, as if she was trying to figure out if she should say something or not. “Have you ever wondered… If maybe you’re not into men?” The question made Kara’s eyes flare open and snap to Lena. Did she just suggest that she might be gay?! There was no way she was gay! She loved men. She found them attractive, and fun to be around, and had always pictured herself being with a man throughout her life. Still, there was that tiny intrusive though in the back of her brain that made her realize that she had never actually had any true chemistry with a man… Not like she did with Lena, or a few other women she could pin point throughout her past.

Kara must have looked terrified, because Lena quickly back peddled in the conversation. “Sorry, that was a dumb question. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. Forget I said anything.” There was an awkward tension between the two. Lena shifted how she was sitting, subtly pushing herself away from Kara. There was a long pause where neither of them said anything. A thought jumped into Kara’s mind, and before she could stop herself, she broke the silence. “Why did you suggest that?”

Lena looked like she was scrambling for a safe response, refusing to look directly at Kara now. “Uh… I just have some gay friends back in California, and what you were saying just kind of sounded like how they talk.” Her face was bright red, and she was trying to push herself into the couch to hide for eternity. “Oh, okay… Are you gay?” Kara’s voice was soft. She didn’t want Lena to think she was judging her. She had no problem with having a gay friend, and she hoped Lena felt safe enough to talk to her.

Finally, Lena looked carefully at Kara, nervously fidgeting. “I’m uh… Bisexual, actually.” Bisexual… So she liked men and woman? That was perfectly okay to Kara, she wasn’t judging at all. “Have you ever dated a woman?” Still, her voice was soft, and her face was relaxed. She saw the slight confusion on Lena’s face. She must have been expecting Kara to blow up, or make some sort of disgusted face. “I have, yes. When I was in college, I was dating a class mate on and off. We didn’t stay together after I moved to California, however.” Kara nodded and grinned a little. She respected that, knowing that love was love, no matter the gender.

“Well, thank you for listening to me ramble. Your advice really did help.” Kara understood now that just because someone has all these good qualities, and is close to you, doesn’t mean you have to find them romantically attractive. Kara glanced at the clock on Lena’s wall, realizing that it was later than she thought. “We both have work tomorrow, so I think maybe I should get going. I can order a cab; I don’t want you to drive after having a drink.” Lena smiled, scoffing at the comment. It was such a cop thing to say.

Kara called the small cab company that ran all over town, ordering a car. It was only going to be a five-minute wait, so went to leave right after she hung up. Before she left, however, she turned to Lena. “Thank you again. Your words really did help, I feel much better now.” The two of them hugged, and Kara left, Lena’s suggestion vaguely lingering in the back of her mind.

**********

James had been trying to text her all day. Kara was at work, on patrol. She was driving around town today instead of running the usual speed traps. She had already pulled a few people over, but nothing major happened. She refused to check her phone while driving, even at stop lights. When she had taken her lunch break, she ignored James’ texts anxiously, talking to Lena and Alex instead. She had told Alex about the terrible time she had the night before, and how Lena had said that just because James was a man didn’t mean they needed to go out. That seemed to make Alex stop suggesting that Kara started dating James, because she became sympathetic while listening to the story.

Kara didn’t open her texts from James until the end of her shit, in the evening once she was home. James had been asking her why she left early the night before, and wanted to know if she had fun. Kara knew the conversation she needed to have with James wasn’t one to have over text. However, she also didn’t want to talk to him in person; she was already home and comfortable being alone. So instead she opted to call him. James picked up on the second ring.

“Hey! I’ve been trying to talk to you all day. Was work busy?” Kara couldn’t help but pace in her living room, shoulders tense with stress. “Yeah, kinda… I, uh, think we need to talk, James.” She heard him sigh, knowing that those words never meant anything good. “Did I do something wrong yesterday? Was it too public? I know you’re really worried about what others have to say about you, but- “ 

“James, no, it’s not that,” Kara interrupted. She frowned, rubbing her mouth with her hand before letting it all out. “I think you’re a wonderful, amazing friend, but that’s all I can think of you as; a friend. I’m not going to lie and say that I’m not ready for a relationship, because it’s not that. I’m just not able to find the connection.”

“Then why did you agree to go on a date in the first place?” She could hear the frustration in James’ voice, and she felt bad. Kara didn’t want James to think she was toying with him for her own amusement. “Because I felt a little cornered, and you were being super persistent. I thought I was just anxious, and that once we were actually on a date that maybe I could relax. I was wrong, though, and I’m sorry if I was being rude about it.”

“Kara, please, I like you. Can’t we give it one more go? We can have dinner at my place, and watch a movie? I get that you felt a little pressured yesterday, and there was a lot going on at the market, but maybe this time it’ll work out.” Kara sighed loudly, moving to go sit down. James wasn’t getting it, and she was worried that he never would. “James, I’m saying no. I’m only interested in being friends. I was talking with Lena about it last night- “

“Lena?! So that’s where you went last night, not home?” James was angry, and his voice was starting to quiver. “You let her talk you out of our date, didn’t you? Kara, don’t listen to her. She doesn’t like reporters, she thinks I’m the scum of the Earth, of course she’s going to talk trash about me!” Kara felt her own temper flare, anger zipping through her. “Don’t talk about Lena like she’s some stupid outsider! She didn’t say anything about you, she just said that I’m not obligated to like you, just because you’re a man that I’m close to.”

James didn’t seem to be fully listening. His voice raised as he spoke. “She’s just jealous because she knows no one’s going to go out with some marriage ruining bitch, so she’s decided to make everyone around her miserable! Kara, don’t listen to her! There’s something between us, I swear there is. We just need to try a little harder.” Kara didn’t know how to react. Lena, ruining a marriage? What was he talking about? Why could he not just admit that there was no point in forcing a relationship?

“Listen, if you can’t respect MY decision- not Lena’s –then maybe we shouldn’t even be friends! I don’t want to be acquainted with someone who believes small town gossip, and can’t respect the word ‘no’ when it’s said to him. Goodbye, James. Have a nice life.” With that, Kara hung up the phone. Within seconds James was trying to call her back, but she instantly declined it, turning off her phone and throwing it on the couch next to her.

Kara put her face in her hands. She didn’t know if she wanted to cry or scream. How did that conversation get so out of hand? What did James mean about Lena? Was there already gossip about why Lena had to move out away from California, and that was the story they had come up with? Kara chewed on her lip, trying to piece together everything she had just been told. So much had happened all at once, and she didn’t want to start assuming things about Lena. That would make her just as bad as everyone else, believing the rumors about her friend.

Kara didn’t turn her phone back on until she was just about to go to bed. She saw that both Alex and Winn had texted her, frantically asking her what happened between her and James. She also saw that James had called her a dozen times, and then texted her almost 50 times. A majority of it was him cursing at her, saying she was a bad friend and he can’t believe he ever gave her a chance. Almost every text was full of typos.

It hurt seeing such a close friend turn against her so suddenly, and Kara couldn’t help but cry a little reading all the hateful things James was saying. She forced herself to delete the text conversation without reading it all, blocking and then removing James from her contact list. She didn’t respond to Alex and Winn’s questions, instead going off to text Lena.

‘Tried talking to James about how I just want to be friends… He didn’t take it very well.’

Kara couldn’t sleep. She just laid in her bed, staring up at the dark ceiling. As soon as her phone screen lit up with a text, she rolled over to read it.

‘Oh no… Are you okay? Want to talk about it?’

Kara smiled, practically being able to hear Lena’s soft, calming voice. She knew that she should probably talk about it tomorrow evening, when she didn’t have sleep or work to worry about, but her heart and head hurt too much.

‘I told him I wanted to be friends, and he started to say “give me another chance”. When I told him no, and mentioned that you talked to me about it, he blew up. Started saying you were filling my head with lies, and that you were just bitter because, “No one would love a marriage ruining b*tch!”’

There was a long pause where Kara thought Lena had fallen asleep at first. However, she texted back after a few minutes.

‘Do you believe him?’

‘That you’re filling my head with lies? No, of course not!’

‘No, about the marriage ruining part.’

Why was Lena asking that? Was it actually true that something had happened involving an affair back in California? Kara didn’t want to pry, so she simply answered;

‘No, I don’t. It wouldn’t be my business, regardless.’

‘Thank you for not believing that lie… You seem to be the only person who doesn’t think it’s true.’

Kara frowned, reading then rereading the text. So it was true that someone was spreading rumors about Lena. Kara could feel the protective anger that had risen when James started yelling about Lena build up in her chest again. How could people be so cruel?! Kara found herself thinking once again about how Lena doesn’t deserve this town. She was too good for it. All the people in West Alpine could burn for all she cared. As long as Lena was safe, and living her best life.

‘I promise to protect your reputation, and make sure everyone knows that it’s a lie.’


	3. The Newcomer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex and Lena finally meet for the first time, and Kara is incredibly stressed about it. Kara and the gang also learn that there is a newcomer joining their ranks in the police force. Lena finally opens up to Kara about her past, after Kara deals with a resident talking bad about her, and explains why she had to move to West Alpine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another big thank you to everyone who commented! I greatly appreciate the kind words, they make my day.  
> Just a warning, this chapter does mention physical/verbal abuse, so please beware.
> 
> Have a safe week,  
> -Aries

Kara nervously twiddled her thumbs against the steering wheel. She clung onto it, looking straight ahead. She was waiting in Alex’s driveway, waiting for her to come out. Not only was she nervous about having to explain why exactly Alex was getting angry texts about Kara from James, but this was also going to be the first time Alex gets to meet Lena.

After James and Kara had gotten into their fight a few days ago, James would not leave it alone. Apparently- according to Winn –every time they talked, he was complaining about how much of a tease Kara was, and that she was West Alpines biggest bitch. Kara had tried to explain what had happened to Alex over text, and a little bit at work even though it wasn’t the most appropriate place to talk, but she still had a ton of questions. Now as the only free time Alex was able to get away from work, so Kara knew she was going to bombard her with questions.

It also just so happened that Alex had agreed to finally meet Lena during all of this craziness. Lena had offered to have them over to her apartment for dinner, and Alex surprisingly accepted. Kara’s nerves were a mess, and she felt like she was going to have a break down at any moment. She assumed she was so nervous because she hated being questioned by Alex, but she also had to admit that she really hoped Alex and Lena got along.

The sound of a door closing caught Kara’s attention. She looked up suddenly to see Alex coming out of her apartment building. Alex waved to her sister, who tore away one hand from the steering wheel to wave back. Her heart was pounding, and she felt like she had an entire river of sweat running down her back.

Alex got into Kara’s car. She was smiling, to Kara’s surprise. “It’s been so long since I’ve been out! How are you?” Alex was in an oddly good mood, and Kara wasn’t sure if she should question why or not. “Honestly? Kind of nervous about tonight. I’m just really hoping people can get along.” Kara mumbled the last part as she started her car, and pulled away from Alex’s apartment.

“Speaking of not getting along.” Oh here we go, exactly what Kara was waiting for, “Can you please fully explain to me what happened between you and James in one sitting? I understand the whole thing where you don’t like him, but then after that I’m lost.” Alex looked at Kara in confusion, leaning the side of her head against her propped up arm.

Kara sighed softly, trying to figure out where to start. “I really don’t know what happened. One moment, I’m telling James about how I’d like us to just be friends, and the next he’s screaming at me about… Uh… How I should be giving him a third chance, and that if I just push myself, I’ll fall in love with him.” Kara purposefully left out the comment James had made about Lena being a ‘marriage ruining bitch’. She didn’t need to be spreading the lies and rumors further by telling Alex.

“What exactly happened on the date?” Alex raised an eyebrow, looking confused. Kara explained how the night before, James had cornered her and asked her on a date. She had felt obligated to say yes, because James had been so sweet, and everyone had been telling her how good of a couple they could be if she just gave him a chance. She then told Alex about the fresh market, how uncomfortable she was and how Lena was the only one to notice that she didn’t want to be there.

“So, instead of staying for the full date, I went to Lena’s. We talked, I told her that I didn’t understand why I didn’t feel attracted to James. She helped me realize that I don’t have a real attraction to him, and that it’s alright to not like someone just because others tell me we’d be a good fit.” By now Kara and Alex were already parked outside Lena’s apartment, but they stayed in the car. “After that, I called James and told him that I only wanted to be friends. He said I should give him another chance, but when I said no, and mentioned that Lena helped me figure out that I didn’t see him romantically he went crazy. Started saying that I shouldn’t be listening to her…. And you know the rest.”

Alex was frowning by the end of the story, her arms crossed. Kara couldn’t tell if she was frowning because she disagreed with the story, or James. She was silent for a long while, visibly trying to piece everything together. Her frown deepened, and her eyebrows furrowed. “Well… I guess I’m not going to be giving James any more interviews.” The comment made Kara suddenly look at Alex. “What?”

“I’m not going to let James just trample all over you just because his ego is bruised. You’ve got a right to say no, and if he can’t respect that than I can’t respect him.” Alex gave Kara a small smile. Kara stared for a moment before practically leaping over the center console of the car to hug her sister. She felt a swell of love for Alex fill her heart as she squeezed her tightly. “Thank you for always being there for me,” Kara mumbled into her shoulder, so happy that she could almost cry. “Of course, you’re my sister. I’ll always stick up for you…. Unless you murder someone, that is. Then my hands are kind of tied as a police officer.”

The two of them were still laughing as they finally got out of the car, getting ready to go see Lena. Kara lead them up to the complex door, buzzing Lena’s apartment. There was a quick, “Come on up,” that came from the speaker before the door unlocked. The two sisters made it up to Lena’s apartment, and as Kara knocked on the door Alex mumbled, “I wonder how a school teacher can afford a place like this?” Kara raised an eyebrow to the comment, but before she could say anything the door opened.

Lena’s bright, brilliant smile greeted Kara and Alex. Her lipstick was dark purple tonight, and her hair was down compared to her usual bun or pony tail. She looked amazing, as always. “Hello! Please, come in, come in.” Lena stepped back, and Kara allowed Alex to walk in first. The apartment smelled like a six course meal was being made. Kara subconsciously took in a deep breath as she walked in, humming in approval. Lena closed the door behind her, and when she passed Kara she brushed her hand against her back. Goosebumps erupted across Kara’s skin, and she had to suppress as shiver for some odd reason.

“I may or may not have made a bit too much food for three people, so I hope you guys are hungry,” Lena said as she led the Danvers sisters into her living room. “It’ll be done shortly, but until then,” Lena turned to Alex and politely held out her hand, “I’m Lena. It’s lovely to finally meet you.” It was odd… Lena was a little bubblier and more talkative than usual. Sure, she was friendly when she met Winn and James, but she had been relatively quiet unless someone spoke to her. Kara quickly realized it was because Lena was nervous, so she was talking more to try and calm herself.

Alex didn’t seem to notice anything off. She happily took Lena’s hand and shook it, smiling wide. She said the typical ‘Winn and Kara won’t shut up about you’ comment, which Lena laughed at. “So I’ve heard. They’ve told me quite a lot about you, as well.” The two women laughed, and Kara watched with a satisfied smile. All her worries about the two of them not getting along melted away watching them chat away.

“Can I get you guys anything to drink? Dinner should be ready in just a few minutes.” Lena walked to the kitchen, glancing back at Kara. Alex requested some water, but Kara declined the offer, mirroring the smile that Lena gave her. Lena checked on the food while the two sisters sat in the living room. Alex exchanged a silent look with Kara, grinning wide at her. Alex seemed to like Lena, visibly relaxing as she leaned back in her seat.

The three girls chatted for a little bit before a timer dinged in the kitchen. Lena hurried to go grab the meal, telling the Danvers sisters to find a seat at the kitchen table. Alex sat across from Kara at the small circular table. Lena brought out the food with a grin, setting everything down before sitting to Kara’s right. It was in fact a lot of food, but after not eating all day because of anxiety over everything today, Kara was starving.

The dinner was relaxed, and amazing. Kara took one bite of her food and instantly melted, giving Lena a thousand compliments through mouthfuls. Lena visibly blushed, grinning as she watched Kara practically scarf down her first helping. Alex just rolled her eyes at her sister, knowing how much she loved food.

“So Lena, Kara tells me you have a degree in science? What did you do before moving to West Alpine?” Lena paused as she was scooping up some food with her fork. “I did a few things, actually. While I was in school I worked for a research lab. We studied mutations in genes and how they affected someone. I helped run my family’s business for a while, but didn’t enjoy it very much. Shortly after that ended, I was offered a job at Stanford, so I worked there before coming here. I’d travel between Stanford and National City quite a bit, honestly.”

There was a palpable air of surprise that filled the space. Kara looked up in shock at Lena, while Alex’s eyes widened. “Oh, wow… Stanford, really? Isn’t that like one of the best ivy league schools in America?” Lena gave a small shrug to Alex’s question, smirking at Kara’s shocked face. “It’s considered number six, yes. Lots of people think it’s the best school on the west coast.” She spoke as if it was casual to talk about how she was once a professor at such a well-known college.

“So what did you teach there? Chemistry, like you do here?” Kara asked, trying to be casual. She felt something wash over her, and it almost felt like attraction. It was as if she was attracted to just how smart Lena was. If she was a professor at Stanford, it must mean she’s brilliant. “I taught a few classes, actually. Chemistry was one, gene studies was another, and I had a class or two of physical science.” Again, she talked as if it was normal to be teaching so many complicated classes. Kara couldn’t help but stare at her in awe.

“Why did you give up such an amazing job to become a high school teacher, then?” The question didn’t mean any harm; Alex was just curious. However, Lena didn’t answer right away. She took a moment to slowly finish chewing her food, eyes flickering down to stare at the table. Kara could practically see the wall that was going up around Lena. “Certain life circumstances,” Lena answered simply, finally looking up from the table and meeting Alex’s eyes.

There was a pause before Kara cleared her throat. “Well me and Alex used to work at the local ice cream shop when we were younger. Alex absolutely hated it, because the manager kept stealing her tips.” Alex scoffed at the story, taking the bate to change the subject. “He used to sit in the back for hours, and smelt like cigarettes all the time!” She leaned back, rubbing her face with her hands, groaning as she remembered the terrible job. Lena gave Kara a grateful look while Alex wasn’t looking, relaxing once again. She chuckled as Alex started to recall stories for the rest of the night, chatting easily.

By the end of the night everyone was smiling and still talking as Alex and Kara started to get ready to leave. They were walking out the door, Kara walking backwards as she finished telling Lena a story about when Winn got his cruiser stuck in the mud while trying to coral a runaway cow with his car. Lena was laughing as the story, leaning against the doorway as the two Danvers sisters left. “I’ll see you soon, Lena,” Kara waved to Lena with a large smile. Lena nodded and waved back, disappearing into her apartment once the sisters turned into the elevator. 

**********

It had been two months since Lena and Alex first met. They had hung out a few more times, Kara always there with them. Lena hadn’t shared anything else about her past life in National City, once again resorting to recent stories whenever the group was sharing. Kara had to admit that she was a little disappointed that Lena had closed herself off like that, again, but she understood that she was just being careful. Still, it was interesting learning about Lena, and her adventures.

Kara sighed as she walked from her patrol car and into the police station. She was on her lunch break, but decided that morning to bring something from home. She was just walking into the bullpen when Henshaw was walking out of his office. Winn and Alex were already there, along with a small handful of other officers that Kara didn’t really interact with. “Oh good, you’re here, Danvers,” Henshaw said, noticing Kara walk in. Kara paused, looking confused at Alex, who gave a small shrug.

“I’d like for everyone to pause what they’re doing for ten minutes, so I can brief you on our new transfer who’s coming in tomorrow.” There was a collective hush over the bullpen as everyone glanced around at each other. A new transfer? Why were they getting a new transfer, and who was it? All eyes went onto Henshaw as he waited for the quizzical looks, and some whispering to stop.

“She’s transferring here from Star City, and was once part of a special crimes unit in Metropolis.” Kara’s mind instantly jumped to Lena. Metropolis was where she was born. Did Lena live in Metropolis for long, and if so, what if she knew this new officer? From what Kara could deduce, Lena was from a very prominent business family. The wheels were turning in her head so much, that she completely missed the rest of what Sherriff Henshaw had said.

Everyone started to disperse around the bullpen. Kara blinked, realizing she had zoned throughout the entire meeting. After awkwardly looking around for a moment, Kara quickly walked back to the stations kitchen, grabbing her lunch and going to her desk. Everyone was quietly mumbling about what they thought the new girl was going to be like. Kara had completely missed if Henshaw said her name, so she was lost as to who exactly was going to be showing up tomorrow.

Kara ate her lunch, listening to Alex and Winn bantering about who would get to be partners with the new cop. It was protocol that for the first three weeks a new hire tag along with a veteran officer. Alex was saying that because she had worked there longer than Winn, that she would be the one working with her. Winn turned to Kara, asking for her opinion. Kara thought for a moment. Choose between her best friend, or her sister? “I agree with Alex; She’s the one with more experience. That, and she scored higher than both of us in the academy.”

Winn playfully pouted. “Come on, Kara! You’re never on my side!” Alex laughed, speaking up before Kara could defend herself. “That’s because she knows I’ll kick her ass if she ever picks someone else.” The group chuckled together, Kara turning back to her lunch. Her mind wandered back to Lena. How would she react to someone from her home town moving into West Alpine? With the way she always avoided talking about her home town, Kara wondered if this new hire would bring back uncomfortable memories for her.

Kara returned to her patrol still asking herself a million questions, trying to figure out if she should mention this to Lena. She decided not to, figuring that she was just over reacting. Metropolis was a big city, even if Lena was from a prominent family. She did mention that she was only a half-Luthor. Maybe that meant she wasn’t in the spot light as much.

The rest of the day and night went by incredibly quick; Kara was so busy thinking and wondering about Lena that it felt as if it passed by in the blink of an eye. When Kara had gone to bed, she fell asleep wondering what rumors and lies this town was going to make up about her.

Kara was at work bright and early the next day. She was working at her desk, Alex and Winn showing up shortly after. The trio was talking, but there was a noticeable tension in the air. They were all waiting for the new recruit. Alex and Winn wanted to see who was going to get to show her around, but Kara wanted to see how she compared to Lena. “You can’t hog this new girl like you did with Lena. Okay, Kara?” Winn’s voice broke Kara out of her thoughts. She looked up, and scoffed. “It’s not my fault she wasn’t into you! We just happened to bond really well, I can’t help being so friendly.”

Winn had accepted that Lena wasn’t as interested in him as she was him shortly after the whole James fiasco. At first he was angry at Kara and Lena, refusing to talk to Kara while at work. After a week, however, he seemed to accept the lack of attraction, and moved on. Kara wanted to say that it wasn’t very good to throw yourself at every new woman who comes into town, but Alex had already started talking about something else involving the new woman.

It was still early in the morning when Sherriff Henshaw walked into the station. He paused to keep the door open for someone. A young Hispanic-mixed woman with long dark brown hair in a ponytail, and perfect eyebrows walked past Henshaw, politely nodding to him. She wore the West Alpine navy blue officer uniform, her hat in her hand and a satchel slung across her shoulder. Henshaw lead the new officer over to the bullpen where only Alex, Winn, and Kara sat.

“Everyone, this is the new transfer I was talking about; her name is Maggie Sawyer.” Henshaw looked between the trio before his eyes landed on Alex. “Danvers, I want you to help her find an open desk. She will be your partner for the three-week orientation.” Kara could see Winn deflate in the corner of her eye. She wouldn’t have been surprised if him and Alex had placed a money bet on who would get to train Officer Sawyer last night after she left.

Alex stood from her desk, smiling wide as she held out a hand to Maggie. They both greeted each other with a ‘good morning’ before Henshaw walked away. Alex turned to the other officers, gesturing to Kara first. “This is Kara, she’s my sister, and this is Winn.” Maggie greeted the others with a smile and a brief wave. She was a little quiet, seemingly nervous. Alex lead Maggie over to an open desk, which happened to be right in back of Kara.

Maggie set down her bag and hat, following Alex as she led her around the station some more. As soon as the two of them were out of ear shot, Kara turned to look at Winn with a large grin on her face. “So how much money did you lose?” She asked with a chuckle. Winn was comically frowning, crossing his arms over his chest as he pouted. “Twenty bucks… Why can I never get a break!”

Kara felt a little bad for Winn. He was a sweet guy, but women didn’t seem to like how childish he could be sometimes. “You’ll get someone one day, Winn. We all will, you’ll see.” Winn gave Kara a grateful look before turning back to his computer. Kara also returned to work, staying at her desk for the first few hours of her shift. When she went to her car to go do her scheduled patrol, she noticed someone walking down the sidewalk.

A young man who looked maybe 17 was strolling down the pathway with his backpack over one shoulder. He looked upset, and tired. Kara furrowed her eyebrows. She closed her halfway open cruiser door, carefully crossing the street. She was about ten yards in front of the kid when she called out, “Hey, buddy. What’s up, why aren’t you in school?” Kara checked her watch. Class had started about an hour ago. The boy looked hesitant, stopping a little too far away from Kara than normal. “I missed the bus. My dad told me to just walk to school, so… Here I am, walking to school.”

Kara frowned, glancing at her car in the parking lot. “Well it’s a far walk… Would you like me to drive you there?” Kara gestured to the cruiser. The boy looked anxious for a moment, still standing a few feet away from Kara. He thought for a moment before slowly nodding. “Okay. Thank you.” He was still upset about something, frowning and keeping his head down. Kara smiled to him, gesturing for him to follow her as she started to cross the street.

The two of them got into the police car, and Kara started to drive. “So, what’s your name kid?” She turned the radio on, but kept it low. “Thomas… But my friends call me Tom,” the boy answered. Kara smiled sweetly to Thomas. He seemed to be a quiet kid, dressed in all black with shaggy hair. “So how is school treating you? Do you plan on going to college after?” Tom shrugged, constantly facing the passenger window. “School’s okay, I guess… My dad said that he’ll give me a job right out of school, so I don’t really see the point in spending the money on college.”

Kara hummed softly, nodding as she listened. “Well, college is always useful if you’re looking to become a professional in something… You know, sometimes I wished I went to…” Kara trailed off. She had looked into the passenger mirror to switch lanes, but noticed that she could see Tom’s face in the reflection. He had a large black eye on the right side of his face, which spread across his cheek bone and temple. It looked like he had been smacked with a two by four, or something much harder.

Kara suddenly pulled over, throwing the car into park. Thomas looked confused, turning to look straight ahead, but refusing to look directly at Kara. Slowly and gently, Kara reached over and grabbed Tom’s chin. He flinched at the touch, but allowed her to carefully turn his face so she could fully see the bruise. His eyes started to water, and his chin quivered, knowing he couldn’t hide his secret any longer. She could see the fear in his eyes, his eyebrows knitted together in discomfort from the bruise.

“Who did this to you, Tom?” Kara asked gently. She didn’t want Tom to become scared, or think she was going to become angry at him. Tom didn’t reply at first, but all of a sudden he started to sob, mentally breaking down. “Please, please don’t get mad at him! I was being a bad son, it’s my fault not his! He was just tired, and I was being a disappointment.” Kara turned to fully face Thomas, now grabbing his face with both hands. She hushed him until his crying slowed, and yelling about how it was his fault, not his fathers, stopped.

“Tell me what happened, Tom… Why did he hurt you?” She wiped a tear off of his cheek with her thumb, worry all over her face. “I… I was being bad… He told me not to put the make up on… He told me it wasn’t manly to wear eyeliner.” Fresh tears came down Thomas’ face. He squeezed his eyes closed as he bawled, shoulders shaking. “I was just having fun! I wasn’t being a faggot, I swear!”

Kara stared at Tom for a moment. She didn’t know what to fear; pity, rage, or sympathy. She allowed Thomas to cry some more. She wasn’t entirely sure what to say. A possibly gay young man, who was very obviously physically and verbally abused was sitting in her car, bawling. The first thing she wanted to do was find out who his father was, and beat him as badly as he beat his son.

Kara took a deep breath, and instead calmly asked, “Do you want me to take you back to the station? We can find somewhere safer for you to go.” She let go of Tom’s face, allowing him to wipe his tears and snot on the long sleeves of his jacket. “No, please, I don’t want to go anywhere… Just take me to school. I just want to go to school.” Kara frowned. That’s not an ideal choice to go; it was only a temporary fix to his situation. Still, she didn’t want to push too hard and have him close up on her. 

“Here… I’ll tell you what,” Kara reached into her breast pocket to grab one of her cards with her number on it, “If he ever touches you again, I want you to call me. I’ll stop him from hitting you.” She paused, watching Tom carefully take the card. “You’re not a bad son, Tom. I’ve known you for five minutes, and I can already tell you that. It’s your father who’s the sick one.” She offered Tom a gentle smile, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I know it’s scary, but know that I’m here for you. Promise me you’ll call if he ever tries to hurt you, verbally or physically. Okay?”

Kara held out her pinkie to Tom. He looked quizzically at her for a moment before wrapping her little finger in his. She smiled and squeezed before sitting back straight in her seat. “You’re certain you want to go to school?” Tom nodded, sniffling. Kara sighed, but nodded. She put the car into drive and took Tom to school. She walked him to the front office. When asked where he was, Thomas said he was helping his dad and got hurt- thus the massive bruise on his face. He spoke the lie so easily that Kara wondered how long it took him to learn that skill. How many bruises and broken bones did he have to lie about?

The secretary looked past Tom, to Kara. She frowned but nodded with a small shrug. “I just picked him up from town and took him here.” The woman nodded before gesturing for Tom to get to class. Before he left, he turned to Kara. “Thank you for picking me up,” He paused, glancing back at the secretary, “and talking with me.” Kara smiled and nodded. “Any time, Tom.” With that, he walked down the hallway. Kara didn’t start to walk back to her car until she saw him turn into a classroom.

As Kara was walking to her police cruiser, she glanced around the parking lot. She easily spotted Lena’s sporty black car, and for a moment Kara wanted to turn back into the building to see if she couldn’t find her while she was teaching. An image of Lena, her hair tied in a tight bun and dressed in a beautiful black skirt and blouse, teaching over a class with that attractive air of power that seemed to always draw Kara in.

Kara reached her car, leaning in and grabbing her pocket note pad and a pen. She wrote a quick note, tearing it off of the pad and folding it in half. She brought it over to Lena’s car, and put it under the wind shield wiper. She smiled at the note, which read;

‘Wish I could see you right now. Hope you had a good day at work! –Kara ;)’

**********

Two weeks… Alex had been working with Maggie for only two weeks, yet she wouldn’t shut up about her. She was constantly texting Kara about ‘Maggie said this’ or ‘Maggie did that’. It was good that Alex enjoyed her new temporary partner, but some days Kara just wanted to yell at her to stop talking! Was this what she sounded like when she first started talking about Lena?... Well, Kara supposed that’s probably what she sounds like now, considering the two of them had been spending time with each other every time their schedules would allow them.

Currently, Kara was getting ready to take Lena hiking up the mountain West Alpine was built on. There were trails all over the mountain, and Lena had suggested they try them out. Kara pulled a loose hoodie over her sports bra. She knew it was going to be too cold for just a tank top or t-shirt, but too warm to have an extra shirt under the hoodie. It was a weird balance, but Kara had casually walked the trails before- although that was when it was a little colder, but how much of a difference could it be? Next Kara pulled on some leggings and tennis shoes before pulling her hair up into a high ponytail. 

Kara double checked that she had everything before texting Lena that she was on her way to the trails. They were going to meet each other there, and then Lena would follow Kara back to her place for dinner. The start of the trails was easier for Kara to get to, so she got there first. Kara simply stood out of her car, leaning against the trunk as she messed around on her phone. There were a few people around on the trails, judging by the handful of cars sitting in the parking lot. Kara hadn’t noticed that someone was coming back from the trails until she heard a woman said, “Oh, Officer Danvers!”

She looked up to the front desk clerk for the museum, Valerie, smiling and waving to her. Kara politely smiled back, pushing off of her car when she realized that Valerie was walking over to her. “Good afternoon, ma’am. How are the trails?” She met Valerie half way, putting her hands in the pockets of her hoodie. “Beautiful, as always. Are you going alone?”

“No, I’m waiting for someone, actually.” The answer was vague, so Valerie gave her a quizzical look. “I hope it’s not that Luthor woman. She’s nothing but trouble.” Kara’s eyebrows furrowed. Her first reaction was to get start yelling at the woman; to tell her off for sticking her nose where it didn’t belong. Instead, however, she put on a false look of confusion. “Why do you say that?” Kara tilted her head to the side a little.

“Haven’t you heard? She got fired from her last job for sleeping with a married coworker!” Valerie was talking hushed and excited, as if this was some great news. So she heard the same things James did… Kara allowed herself to frown. “Who told you that?” She tried to keep the anger out of her voice. Thankfully her hands were hidden in her pockets, because they had started to shake. “Why, James Olsen told me. I thought you two were close?”

Of course James was the one who spread the rumor. Did he try and dig up information on Lena when she first came into town? Was that what he came up with, and started to spread it when Kara refused to go out with him? A horrifying thought suddenly came to Kara’s mind; was she the reason Lena was being talked about? Because she wouldn’t go out with James, so he started to try and hurt her by hurting the ones close to her? The thought only made her angrier, and she could no longer hold it in.

“You seriously believe that?” Kara spat, standing up to her full height. She took her hands out of her pockets, clenching them and unclenching them at her sides. Now Valerie looked confused. She took a half step backwards, furrowing her eyebrows. “What do you mean?” A red haze started to creep along the edges of Kara’s vision. “I mean; do you really believe that lie? You realize that James has been saying all that bull crap about Lena because he doesn’t like her?” Valerie took another step back, a slightly fearful look in her eyes. Kara could only imagine how enraged she looked.

“Lena is a beautiful, amazing person. She would never ruin someone’s life like that, nor throw away her career for a married man. Those are lies spread to turn the town against her. She doesn’t deserve that. She deserves a fresh start, away from all the rumors. Maybe you should focus more on becoming informed, rather than spreading false information.” Kara was one octave away from yelling. Her voice was strong, and full of anger. Her vision was almost completely black, and she could hear her heart beat pounding in her ears. Her hands were tight fists, shivering so hard that Kara had to grab onto her legs to still them.

“R-right… Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend. I-I’ll stop with the rumors, I promise!” Valerie turned, and booked it to her car. Kara stood there, chest heaving as she watched the older woman jump into her car and pull away, spraying dirt behind her. Kara squeezed her eyes shut, trying to focus on her breathing. She took multiple steps backwards, bumping into her own car. Kara slid down the side of the vehicle, squatting down as she tried to get control of herself again.

She didn’t realize that Lena had showed up, nor did she hear her walk up and call out her name. She felt Lena’s hand on her shoulder, and another on her cheek. Kara looked up, her eyes meeting Lena’s. They were full of worry and concern, and her thumb was gently rubbing along Kara’s cheek bone. “Are you okay, Kara?” Just then Kara realized she had been crying, feeling the wet trail running down her face. “U-uh… Yeah, I’m okay… I just…” Kara trailed off. She got way too worked up, and she didn’t know how to explain what just happened to Lena.

“A woman- Valerie –came up to me and started talking… It was James. He’s the one who told the rumor about you. I think he searched who you were when you first moved in, and made something up… Lena, I’m so sorry. I-I think he told everyone those lies because he was mad at me…” Kara expected Lena to get mad, or to back away. Instead, she just frowned, but not at Kara. Lena’s hand on her shoulder squeezed softly. “Thank you for worrying, but I know it wasn’t your fault. You’re helping me. You didn’t start any of this. James might have spread the rumor, but he’s not the one who made it up, either.”

Kara stared into Lena’s eyes for a long, silent moment. Her presents was calming, and her words allowed Kara’s hands to stop shaking and breath to return to normal. “James didn’t make up the lie?” Her eyebrows furrowed a little. “Then who did?”

Lena didn’t reply straight away. She stood up, removing her hands from Kara’s shoulder and face, much to her disappointment. “Let’s start walking, and I can explain it.” Lena offered to help Kara up. The two women started on their hike, walking side by side. Lena eventually started talking once they were a good distance from the parking lot.

“To help you understand a little bit, you should know that my brother is an insanely jealous man. Ever since he was a child, he believed he always deserved everyone’s full attention.” The start of the story confused Kara, but regardless she silently listened. “Even though we didn’t share the same mother, my father raised me alongside my brother. That made Lex furious. He thought of me as a bastard, who didn’t deserve even a glance from my father. However, as we grew up, my father and his wife- Lilian –started to show me a little too much attention, apparently.

“Lex hated me. He would always bully me, and everyone else around him. I blame Lilian for his behavior, honestly. She was a harsh woman who thought she was better than everyone else.” Kara was surprised that Lena was opening up this much. She had only expected a simple answer to her question, yet now she was getting a full story about Lena’s life. She was glad Lena could trust her, although the story was making Kara angry at Lena’s family.

“Now, to the point of the story; before my father passed away, he wrote it in his will that I would be co-CEO of my family’s company. This infuriated my brother, because he wanted the full company. Lex could hold one hell of a grudge against someone. He loathed me for accepting the position in the company, and made sure I had a miserable time working with him. Eventually, I got fed up with the abuse and left.” Lena paused, sighing. Her gaze was far out, and there was a deep frown on her face.

“When I got my job at Stanford, it got a lot of attention. Of course, Lex hated that even though I abandoned the company- although that’s what he wanted from the start –I still got attention for the milestones in my life. A few years into my career as a professor, and all of a sudden people started whispering behind my back. I was getting rude looks, and mean comments from my coworkers, and I had no idea why… Turns out my brother paid one of my coworkers to start saying I was sleeping with another professor. When that professor’s wife heard about the rumors, she divorced him within weeks. Of course that didn’t help my case, and the other professors started petitioning to get me fired.

“One day after class, I was called into the principal’s office. He told me that I can either resign and keep my teaching license, or get fired and lose everything… I’m sure you can figure out which option I chose.” Lena looked down at her feet. Kara stopped walking, anger pumping through her once again. So that must explain why Lena doesn’t like reporters; she probably couldn’t get another job because the media had sunken their claws into the lies and spread them all over. Lena had to move to a small, off the grid town just to continue living.

“Lena I am… I’m so sorry.” Lean avoided Kara’s gaze. She gave a small shrug, looking down at her feet. Her face was stoic, but her eyes started to get a little misty. Kara stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Lena, squeezing her tightly. Lena hesitated for a moment before reaching her arms up to wrap them around Kara’s neck, burying her face into the crook of Kara’s neck. The hug felt wonderful, and Kara could tell that Lena was slowly starting to relax.

So many emotions were passing through Kara. She felt affection for her friend, and anger towards her screwed up family. She had always wondered why Lena would put herself in such a terrible little town- other than to get away from the press –but it had never occurred to her that Lena came from a much more toxic situation. Kara had already vowed her herself to protect Lena’s name and legacy in West Alpine, but she also made a silent vow to protect Lena from the emotional trauma of her past.

Kara made sure not to pull away from the hug. Not only because she was enjoying it, but also because she wanted Lena to let go on her own terms, once she was ready. It took a while, but Lena did end up letting go. Her face was a little red, but she looked beautiful as always. “Are we ready to go kick this mountains ass now?” Kara smiled the biggest smile she could manage, and she was delighted to see Lena mirroring it.

Feeling infinitely closer to Lena, Kara led on with a satisfying feeling in her chest. This was a major step in their friendship, and Kara was glad that it happened. Her anger about Valerie and James was long forgotten, replaced with amusement and joy as the two of them chatted light heartedly.

The hike was a fun adventure. At one point Kara saw some beautiful flowers a few yards off the trail. Without warning she bolted over to the plants, quickly grabbing a small handful to bring over to Lena. Lena just laughed and thanked Kara, her nose scrunching as she giggled, bringing them to her nose to smell. Kara could tell just from standing a few feet away that they smelled light and sweet. Lena closed her eyes as she took in a deep breath, and Kara found herself wanting to keep that mental image in her brain forever.

They moved on, getting a little past the halfway point before getting too tired. Kara had made a mistake in wearing her hoodie, because she was starting to get very warm in it, but she couldn’t take it off due to not having anything under it. When she mentioned this to Lena, she randomly started laughing. Kara raised an eyebrow, confused as to why she was cracking up.

“Kara, you can take off your hoodie, no one’s here to judge you,” Lena said through her giggling. Kara tried to hide the fact that she was starting to blush, looking at Lena. “But won’t it make you uncomfortable?” Part of her wanted to take her hoodie off, but the other part was nervous that Lena might criticize her. Lena seemed to find Kara’s chagrin amusing, because she only starting to giggle more. “I’m not a middle-schooler, I think I can handle seeing a topless woman.”

Kara thought back the conversation they had after Kara’s terrible date with James. Lena had told her that she was bisexual. If Kara took off her top, would Lena find that attractive? The thought of Lena looking at her didn’t make Kara uncomfortable like she thought it should. Instead it… Excited her? She decided after a minute to say ‘screw it’ and take the hoodie off. In the back of her mind, Kara was interested in seeing how Lena would react.

In one quick movement of her arms, Kara pulled the dark hoodie off, gasping at the feeling of the chilly air hitting her vaguely sweaty skin. She couldn’t help but tense up, muscles flexing. As she tied her hoodie around her waist, she noticed that out of the corner of her eye she could tell that Lena was glancing at her. Kara blushed, and as much as she would have liked to chalk it up to embarrassment or the cold, she felt like it was more due to flattery.

The trek down to the cars was just as fun and beautiful as the walk up the mountain. Lena was still holding onto her flowers, and Kara was still blushing bright red. Not only were her face and ears crimson, but her neck and chest were also practically glowing. She kept noticing Lena looking her up and down before smirking, and for some reason that gave her butterflies.

Right before they reached the parking lot Kara put her hoodie back on. She didn’t mind Lena seeing her in only a sports bra, but she felt like it was inappropriate for anyone else to see her. Kara walked Lena to her car first, leaning against the side of it as she opened the door. “I might need to run back to my house to take a quick shower before I go over to your apartment. I’m all sweaty, and probably don’t smell great.”

Lena smirked, looking at Kara with an oddly flirty look in her eye. Without warning, she leaned in close to Kara, her nose almost brushing Kara’s neck. She softly inhaled before taking a step away. Just when Kara’s face had returned to its normal color, it was suddenly red all over again. Because she as so close, Kara had subconsciously inhaled as well. Lena smelt like roses, or some other sort of fragrant flower, with a hint of mixed berries.  
“I think you smell fine, but if you’re really worried about it, you can take a shower back at my place… I have some clothes you can change into.” Kara swallowed hard, wordlessly nodding her head. “Good… See you there, then.” Lena smirked, the amusement visible in her eyes. As if nothing happened, Lena slid into her car, waiting for Kara to move before closing the door.

Kara pushed herself off of Lena’s car, stiffly walking to her own. She followed Lena’s black sports car, a weird sort of haze clouding her brain. The scent of roses and berries lingered in her nose, tricking Kara into thinking that Lena was somewhere close by. The entire last half of the walk had been an odd blur of weirdly sensual emotions. Kara realized that the images of Lena looking at her shirtless, and leaning in so close that she could smell her that were swimming around in her brain were… Turning her on? Kara shook her head, biting her lip as she tried to keep her eyes locked onto Lena’s bumper.

No, they couldn’t be arousing her. She wasn’t gay, and Lena was her best friend. Why would she be getting turned on by her best friend? She wasn’t blushing because she liked how Lena was looking at her when she took her hoodie off, she was blushing because she was cold. She didn’t like the looks; she was just flattered that Lena found her attractive enough to look at. The scent that was stuck in her nose wasn’t making her imagine Lena so close to her that she could feel her breathing, she just liked it because it was a nice smell. Hell, she could smell the roses and berries when she had hugged Lena earlier, why didn’t she notice it then?!

Kara’s brain was on fire as it battled itself. She got out of her car once she pulled up to Lena’s apartment, wordlessly nodding and smiling to her best friend as they met on the sidewalk. “Is everything okay?” Lena raised an eyebrow as they walked into the building, noticing Kara’s silence. “Yeah, I’m fine,” Kara answered a little too quickly. She cleared her throat, slowly adding, “I’m just worried about using your shower.” 

That was such a stupid excuse! Anxious about using her shower?! Kara, you seriously couldn’t come up with something better?! Out of all the things you could have said, you said THAT! Jesus, Danvers, you really need to think better on your feet. You’re a cop for goodness sake! You’ve been trained deduce answers quickly, so why could you have just deduced better?! Now she’s going to think you’re scared of showers or something!

Kara internally face palmed and groaned. She could feel the bewildered look Lena was giving her as they stepped into the elevator, but she refused to look at her. Kara simply looked up at the floor numbers as they went up, mumbling, “I’m fine… Just fine… Everything is A-okay…” She just accepted that her face was going to be bright red for the rest of the night. Thankfully Lena didn’t ask any more questions. Instead she just looked ahead of her, still obviously confused.

Once the two were in Lena’s apartment, Kara was led to the bathroom right under the loft bedroom. As Kara was passing the stairs to the loft, she realized that she had never actually seen Lena’s bedroom… Why was she thinking of Lena’s bed? Oh my god, Kara, your brain needs to shut up!

Kara was silent as she listened to Lena explain how to turn on the rather luxury shower. There were five different nozzles, each with their own separate temperature. “Let me go grab a towel and something for you to change into,” Lena said as she left the bathroom. Kara took a moment to look in the mirror. She was as red as a tomato, and there was obvious panic in her face.

Why was she freaking out so much? She’s been around Lena for how many months now? She was completely comfortable around her. Those damn intrusive thoughts about if Lena found her attractive, and how she found her best friend attractive- PLATONICALLY… She finds her best friend platonically attractive. She was a beautiful woman; why couldn’t Kara admit that to herself? There was nothing wrong with noticing how gorgeous she was. If anything, Lena should take it as a form of flattery.

Lena returned with the items she said she was getting. “The underwear is brand new, I swear. I can show you the package I just opened, if you’re worried about it… Oh, and the bra is clean.” Lena set the items down on the bathroom counter chuckling. “No, I believe you,” Kara couldn’t help but chuckle a little. Lena paused before leaving the bathroom. She stared Kara down for a moment, obviously trying to figure out why she was suddenly acting so weird. “Are you sure you’re okay?” This time Kara had an excuse. “Yeah, I’m just light headed. I think I have low blood sugar or something. Dinner should help.”

Lena gave a worried frown. She was just about to walk out, but instead she stepped forward, raising a hand to press against Kara’s forehead. “Hm… You don’t seem to have a fever.” Her hand moved, pressing both against her cheeks, then moved down to her neck to see if they were abnormally warm. Kara felt a bolt of panic run down her spine, and her stomach do flips as Lena touched her neck. “Hey, it’s fine. Let me just shower, I’ll be fine,” Kara tried to keep the panic out of her voice as she gently reached up and pulled Lena’s hands away from her neck.

“If you say so,” Lena backed up, giving Kara plenty of space. “I’ll be just outside in the living room if you need me.” She still looked concerned, closing the door as she left. Kara stared with wide eyes, looking at the door before glancing at herself in the mirror. She looked like someone had steamed her face because it was so red. With a deep inhale that she held for a moment, Kara started to move around the bathroom. She locked the bathroom door, turning on the shower water to let it heat up as she stripped down.

Kara looked quickly through the clothing that Lena had set out of her. She tried not to focus too much on the sports bra and boy shorts she had given her. Never until now had she wondered what type of underwear Lena wore. She was also given a large sweater, and what looked to be fitted sweat pants. It all looked very snug and comfortable.

When she stepped into the shower, Kara let the water run down her back, arching slightly at the heat of the water. She took her hair down and started to wash it under the water. Kara noticed the bottles of shampoo and body wash. She felt awkward using Lena’s supplies, so she used as little shampoo and body wash as she could, lathering her entire body. She realized what Lena smelt so good. Her shampoo was roses, and body wash a mixture of berries. Kara couldn’t help but take a deep breath as she rinsed off, the scent swirling through her nose.

Kara got out of the shower after a few minutes, turning off the water and drying off with the towel Lena had set out. She dried her hair as best as possible before putting it up into a messy bun. She got dressed in Lena’s clothing, gathering her own into a ball. Walking out of the bathroom, Kara smiled to Lena, who was sitting on the couch reading from a tablet. The flowers Kara had picked were in a small jar of water on the coffee table.

“Did you enjoy your shower?” Lena returned the smile. She uncrossed her legs and stood. “It felt great, thank you,” Kara said, noticing that Lena’s hair was wet, and she had changed into comfortable clothing just like Kara. “Did you also shower?” Lena nodded, gesturing to the spare bedroom door. “There’s a smaller bathroom in my office, so I just jumped in while you were taking yours as well.” Oh… So that’s what that room was.

“So, shall I get started on dinner?” Lena grinned as she walked back to the kitchen. It looked as if she had everything already mostly prepared, so all she had to do was cook it. “You always seem to be one step ahead with everything. It’s really impressive,” Kara mentioned, watching Lena putting everything together as needed. “That’s the perks of once being a co-CEO for a few years,” Lena chuckled.

Lena cooked, and Kara helped out whenever Lena asked. She set the table, and grabbed a wine that looked good off of the wine rack. The two of them casually chatted as they ate. Of course Kara at for two people, constantly telling Lena how amazing her cooking was. “If we keep doing these dinners, I’m going to start gaining weight,” Kara joked. Lena smirked, glancing Kara up and down. “I think you’re looking fine so far. Kara scoffed, hiding her blushing face behind her wine glass as she took a large sip of it. Why was she blushing so much today?

The continued talking, even after the meal was finished and cleaned up. They finished the bottle of wine together, moving to the living room. It was a very comfortable, relaxed night. Even with Kara constantly blushing at Lena’s sweet comments.

“You know what I find really beautiful about this town?” Lena sat how she usually did; legs curled close to her, and an arm casually slung over the back of the couch as if she was reaching towards Kara. Kara sat with her feet on the coffee table, arms hugging herself. She gave Lena an inquiring look, waiting for her to answer her question. “The night sky is always so beautiful.”

Kara nodded in agreement. West Alpine was situated perfectly, so that it was away from the light pollution of the big cities. Out by Kara’s cabin was the best view of the stars and moon, but even in the middle of town where Lena’s apartment had good scenery. “Yeah, I love sitting on my porch and looking at the stars and clouds when I’m at home,” Kara agreed. Lena looked out to the glass wall in her apartment, but there wasn’t a very easy angle to look at the stars at. That is unless you stood up against the glass and tilted your head up at an awkward angle.

“You know what? Why don’t we go up to the roof? I have access, and there’s a lounging area up there.” Lena smiled, already getting up to gather their empty wine glasses. “Are you sure? It might be really cold now that it’s dark,” Kara pointed out, also getting up. Lena waved her off. “I have some blankets we can bring, just give me a second.” It was adorable watching Lena dart around the apartment. She ran up to her bedroom loft for a moment, coming back with at least three large fluffy blankets. “Here, give me those. You lead the way,” Kara said, taking the blankets before Lena could disagree.

The two made their way up to the roof using the elevator, Lena grinning excitedly as they walked out onto the roof. There was in fact a lounge area with outdoor chairs and a couch. “Here, on the couch!” Lena jumped onto the couch, quickly hugging her legs to her chest as she already started to look up at the sky. Kara scoffed at her, taking a moment to unfold the blankets and lay them over her friend.

Once Kara was under the blankets, also curled up so that she didn’t get cold, the two women went silent for a while. Kara could feel Lena’s warmth, and it was rather comforting. She let out a long sigh as she fully relaxed, Lena chuckling and humming in agreement. The night was beautiful, with very little clouds, and a full moon. There was a little bit of wind, but with the blankets and Lena right next to her, Kara felt extremely comfortable.

It gave her a moment to finally relax, having been physically and mentally tensed up. Her mind went blank for a little bit, and her shoulders slackened. Kara sat like that for a few minutes before her mind rounded on the day’s events. She glazed over the fact that she almost gave herself a damn aneurism due to anger when the day first started, but she thought it got better. She learned a lot about Lena today, and it felt like something had shifted in their friendship.

Kara’s mind wandered to the feeling in her chest, when she had wondered if Lena ever thought of her attractive. Maybe it was the wine, or maybe it was Kara finally feeling relaxed, but she decided to ask some questions that had been on her mind. “How did you know you liked women?” Lena scoffed, looking down from the stars over to Kara. “What?” She was smiling, her eyebrow arched attractively.

“I mean, I know you like men as well, but how did you reach the conclusion that you found women attractive as well?” Kara mirrored Lena’s smile, watching her green eyes dart all over her face. “Well… The best way I can answer that is by saying I fell in love.” Kara was instantly intrigued. She turned to almost fully face Lena, feeling like a small child being told a story. She leaned her arm on the back of the couch they were on, bending it to rest her head against a curled hand. “Please, tell me more,” She grinned.

“It was in high school. I went to a private, all girls high school and there was this friend of mine, Katie. We had gotten really close. I was absolutely obsessed with her. I thought it was just because I wanted to be her; she was beautiful, smart, and incredibly graceful. Whenever she would laugh I could feel butterflies in my heart. She would smile, and I felt this indescribable joy. If she was every close to me, I always wanted her to stay there and never move. She’d touch me, and I’d get goosebumps all over. It took me an entire school year, plus the summer, to realize that what I was feeling was attraction.” Lena gave a small shrug at the end of her story.

Kara watched her talk, a small smile on her face as she listened. “So… Did you guys get together?” Lena laughed, and shook her head. “No, we didn’t. She didn’t feel the same way, and I ended up losing that friendship. It hurt at first, but I eventually got over it.” She shrugged as if it was no big deal. “What, really?! What a jerk! She seriously broke off the friendship?” Lena looked amused at how invested Kara was getting into the story. “No, actually,” She shook her head, “I did. I was embarrassed after I tried to kiss her one night, so I got very distant. Eventually we just stopped talking, because I’d always find an excuse to avoid her everywhere.”

Kara frowned, and furrowed her eyebrows. She silently hoped Lena never got so embarrassed and uncomfortable around her that their friendship ended. She didn’t know what she would do if Lena stopped talking to her. They were incredibly close, and it would be devastating to lose her best friend.

After taking in an incredibly deep breath, and dramatically letting it out in a loud sigh, Kara decided to lighten the mood. “Do you find me attractive?” She asked it as a joke, smiling wide and winking. Lena, however, smirked. The attractive smile caused Kara to freeze up, staring at Lena. She almost expected her to lean in close to answer, but she kept her distance. “Do you want the truth?” She raised her eyebrow, and for a moment Kara couldn’t help but think about how sexy that looked. “Uhm… Well now I don’t know… Yes?” She mumbled.

“I think you’re one of the most attractive people in this town,” Lena said, giggling as Kara’s jaw dropped a little. Kara was flattered… She thinks? It was hard to pinpoint how exactly she felt. It was pleasing to hear that someone thought you were attractive, but Kara felt like the comment made her a little too happy.

After a moment Kara cleared her throat, and looked away. She returned her attention back to the stars, feeling heat once again blossoming across her cheeks. Why in the world was she blushing so much? Lena chuckled once more next to her before also looking back up at the sky.

**********

Maggie Sawyer was sitting at her desk when Kara walked into the bullpen. She was now free to work by herself, her three week ‘probation’ finally up. Alex was sad that she had lost her work partner, but Maggie still hung around her. They were constantly talking and texting. Kara was glad that Alex had found a new work friend. It used to be just her and Winn that Alex ever really talked to. She seemed happier around Maggie, even if that’s all she ever talked about.

Kara greeted Maggie with a smile, going to set her bag down by her desk. “I don’t think we’ve ever really talked,” Maggie suddenly said. Kara looked up from what she was doing, and over to Maggie’s desk. “Not really, no. Just been really busy.” Kara shrugged. In truth, she was avoiding her a little bit. She wasn’t sure how to feel about her for a long moment, considering she was from Lena’s home town. Although Maggie did sound like a sweet woman, from what Alex told her.

“So have you lived here your whole life?” Maggie leaned back a little in her chair, watching Kara sit down at her own desk. Apparently she wasn’t going on patrol like she thought she was, which was fine by her. Patrol was boring this early in the morning. “I was, yeah. I was born here, but moved away as a baby for about a year. When my parents died, Alex’s parents took me in straight away. They knew me from when I first lived here, and I’ve been here ever since.” Maggie smiled and politely nodded along.

“I was actually born here, too. But I moved away with to my aunt’s place in Metropolis when I was fourteen. That’s where I became a cop, just like my father.” Kara tilted her head hearing this. Why would she move away, only to come back to this forsaken place? “Why did you move away?” She asked instead. Maggie thoughtfully smiled at the question, as if she found it a little amusing. “I was outted as gay to my father, so he kicked me out.”

Kara froze, staring at Maggie. Why in the world was she smiling at that?! “It was a long time ago, and I’ve come to terms with it. I got through it with humor, so don’t think I’m some psychopath.” Kara nervously laughed, slowly nodding. So the new cop was gay? Her mind thought back to Lena. Of course she wouldn’t out her to Maggie, but it was still interesting know that both of them lived in Metropolis, and both of them liked women.

“So does your father still live in town?” Kara could only imagine how awkward that could be. She was kicked out of the town by him, and now she had to move back into the same time with him? “No, actually. He moved away shortly after I left, from what I’ve heard. I’m not really sure where he is.” Maggie gave a small shrug.

The door opening caught both of the girl’s attention. Alex walked into the bullpen with a large smile on her face, looking to Maggie. “Hey, good morning you two!” She had two cups of coffee in her hand. She practically skipped over to Maggie’s desk, handing her the covered cup. She sipped her own coffee as she walked to her own desk, sitting down and turning to Kara. “Are you free tonight? Me and Maggie are doing a movie night. Maybe you can invite Lena?”

“Sure, I’ll check with Lena to see if she’s free.” Straight away she pulled out her cellphone, texting Lena asking if she was available. Kara returned to her work as she waited for Lena to respond. It took about an hour, considering Lena was still asleep at this time in the morning, but as soon as Kara felt her phone vibrate she checked it.

‘I’d love to come! See you then ;)’

Kara smiled down at her phone, excitement buzzing in her chest. When she looked up, she noticed that Alex was watching her, a mischievous smirk on her face. “I assume she said yes just from your smile.” Kara scoffed, throwing a paper clip at her sister. Alex dodged it, laughing as she turned to her work.

The day went by quickly. Kara did her patrols, gave a few speeding tickets, and she didn’t even get frustrated when she had to respond to a noise complaint that turned out to be some kids skipping school to play music in one’s basement. Alex, Maggie, and Kara all left together splitting up to go to their own personal cars. Kara was interested in seeing how this night would go. Would Maggie know who Lena is, or was Kara just thinking too much like someone from a small town? Not everyone knows almost everyone in a city. Metropolis was a large city, and Lena’s family company wasn’t even built out of there.

Kara quickly drove home, fed and played with Zeus for about an hour, then changed into a sweater and jeans before driving to Alex’s apartment. Maggie was already there, but Lena had yet to show up. Alex was serving some wine and beer, although Kara denied the alcohol, getting herself some water instead. Maggie was talkative around Alex, Kara noted. She was telling her all about her first day by herself, saying that she almost got lost, but managed to remember the trick Alex showed her.

A small knock on the door told Kara that Lena was there. She answered it for Alex, smiling wide when she saw her best friend. They greeted each other, hugging tightly. Kara lead Lena into the living room, introducing Maggie and Lena. Maggie smiled wide, standing to shake Lena’s hand. Even though she was smiling, however, she looked vaguely confused, as if she was trying to piece something together in her brain.

“I’m sorry, you just look kind of familiar,” Maggie said, studying Lena’s face. Lena furrowed her eyebrows, and Kara’s stomach did a back flip. Maggie stared for a moment longer before snapping her fingers and pointing. “You’re Lena Luthor!” Kara anxiously looked between Lena and Maggie. Lena looked startled, her shoulders slightly tensing. “Yes, I am… How do you know me?”

“I was raised in Metropolis. It’s always been talked about, how the family who started L-Corp was originally from there. I used to see your face all over the newspapers, because whatever happened in National City was broadcast to Metropolis as well.” Maggie was still smiling as she spoke, and Lena visibly started to relax a little. She must have assumed that Maggie knew her from the Stanford scandal. “Oh, well… Yes, my family was a prominent foundation in Metropolis. I wasn’t entirely invested in their politics until I was older, and living in National City, however.”

“Maggie’s also technically a prominent family, although I guess that’s only important to West Alpine,” Alex spoke up. She had noticed the tension in her sister’s and Lena’s face, so she seemingly was trying to change the topic. “Really? How so?” Kara was grateful for her sister. She was also grateful that Lena didn’t seem too stressed out about Maggie once she figured out that she didn’t have any ill will towards her.

Maggie bashfully smiled at Alex, shaking her head. “I mention that my family was friends with one of the founding family’s once, and you let it go to your head! The Sawyer’s aren’t actually that big of a deal. It’s just that long ago we moved into West Alpine, and might have had a few children with one of the big families in the city.” She shrugged casually. Now it made much more sense why Maggie would ever move back to West Alpine. She was immune from the rumors, all because she had a few distant relatives that were part of the founders.

The women chatted for a little while longer before Alex suggested they go sit down for the movie. Alex and Maggie sat on one side of the living room, talking quietly with each other while Lena and Kara sat on the other. The room was dark except for the TV. The movie was interesting, but Kara couldn’t focus. She watched her sister and Maggie talk. Alex seemed to be genuinely happy, snickering every once and a while whenever Maggie whispered a joke about the movie to her.

Kara glanced to Lena, who was seemingly enamored by the movie, her eyes locked on the screen. She wondered if how her sister and Maggie looked is just like how her and Lena looked. Lena made her happy, she knew that, and they were best friends. Kara knew that she spent quite a lot of time around Lena, and was incredibly comfortable with her.

Regardless, it was nice to see her sister finally comfortable with someone. Alex was always incredibly focused with her job, so she didn’t have many friends. Now that Maggie was here, she seemed to come out of her shell. Maggie also seemed like a sweet girl, now that Kara knew she wasn’t a threat to Lena.

The four watched the movie for a little while longer before Kara’s phone started to go off. Of course everyone jokingly berated her about keeping her phone on, but Kara just laughed, quickly getting up to go talk in the other room. She frowned seeing the number on the screen. She didn’t have it saved, and for a moment she almost wanted to decline the call. However, something told Kara to answer the phone. Swiping the little green telephone icon, Kara put the cell to her ear.

“Hello?” She asked, pacing slightly like she always did. A small voice came from the other end of the phone, but it was so quiet that Kara couldn’t hear what it was saying. “What? Hello? Who is this?” Kara furrowed her eyebrows, a bad feeling settling in her stomach. Something felt wrong, but she didn’t know what. “K-Kara? That’s you, right? Kara, please help me.”

It was Thomas, and he sounded like he was terrified. She could hear him crying into the phone, repeating, “Please help me,” over and over. “Tom?! Where are you, are you okay? Did he hurt you again?” Kara froze in place. She needed to figure out where he was, and fast. “P-Please, he’s going t-to kill me… Help me, k-k-Kara!”

Kara ran from the hallway she was standing in to the living room, panic causing her heart to pound in her chest. She scrambled to grab a pen and piece of paper from where Alex kept them. “Tell me where you are, Tom. What’s the address?” Tom stuttered out where he was through sobs. She could hear someone start to bang around in the background, slurred yelling screaming something about a ‘faggot bastard’ and ‘you’re no son of mine!’.

Kara scribbled down the address that Tom had given her. By now Alex had paused the movie, everyone watching Kara with concerned faces. “Okay, Tom?... I need you to hide, if you aren’t already. Try to get out of the house if you can. I’m on my way, okay? I’ll be right there. I need to hang up, but just stay hidden.” Tom sobbed, but agreed, asking her to please help him. Unwillingly, Kara hung up the phone. She looked to her sister and Maggie, realizing that she could really use the back up.

“Guys, I need your help. There’s this kid, I helped him a little while ago. His father’s beating him, and I think he’s going to really harm him.” Lena was the first to get up, a determined look on her face. “My car’s the fastest. I’ll take you guys to wherever he is.” Kara wanted to say no, that Lena shouldn’t put herself in possible danger, but she knew that she was right. Alex ran to her bedroom for a minute. She came back while Kara and Maggie were putting on their shoes, a gun, holster, and badge in her hand. “Let’s go,” She instructed, clipping the holster and gun to her side.


	4. Favorite Sin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex tells Kara some big news about her and Maggie. Kara finally comes to terms with some things she's been internally battling. After she finds it in her heart to accept herself, she then struggles with something a much harder internal battle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It only took me four chapters, but I finally figured out how to use italics on here, lmao.  
> I wrote this all in one day, so I apologize if there's any typos or anything.
> 
> Please enjoy!  
> -Aries

Lena’s engine revved as she pushed the gas pedal. She had been rolling through every red light, and speeding down every street. She drove expertly well, keeping control of the car as she practically drifted around a curve. Maggie was on the phone with Susan from dispatch, giving her the information on what was happening. Kara was sitting in the front, practically sitting on the edge of her seat. The girls already had a game plan; Lena would stay in the car, Maggie would go around back, and Alex and Kara would go through the front door.

When the GPS told them they were a few hundred feet from the residence, Kara told Lena to stop. “Stay here- Maggie give her you phone. Let Susan know if we’re not out of there in ten minutes.” With that, Kara was bolting out of the car. Maggie and Alex were right behind her, Maggie darting off through someone’s side yard once they located the proper house.

They couldn’t just barge into the house, despite Kara’s desire to. Alex knocked loudly on the door, screaming, “West Alpine PD! Open up!” There was no answer straight away, so Kara went to go look in a window in front of the house. She didn’t see anything at first, and was about to switch to a different window when she saw someone moving.

A massive man walked past the doorway, holding an obvious shot gun. That was the cause Kara needed. “Gun!” Kara yelled to her sister, sprinting back to the front door. Alex had yet to react to what Kara had said, so Kara took action. As soon as she reached the front door, her Converse was slamming into it. In the academy, Kara was known for being the strongest in her class. With one kick the door was flying open.

“Me first. let’s go!” Alex pulled her pistol, and walked into the residence. Kara took one last glance at where Lena was parked, seeing her terrified face illuminated by the phone she was holding. Kara couldn’t think of her right now, following directly behind Alex with a hand on her shoulder.

Alex used her gun to led as she announced, “West Alpine PD, come out!” They could hear shuffling around a corner. Alex had just cleared past a doorway right as something came swinging out of it. The massive man Kara had seen earlier smacked Alex’s arms down with his shot gun, knocking her forward. Kara dove for the barrel of the shot gun right as it started to point at her sister. She shoved it away, towards a wall, barley registering the gun going off, and the painful burning in her hands.

Kara adjusted her grip on the gun, and started to shove the bull of a man backwards, into what seemed to be a living room. The man was snarling, smelling strongly of beer and other alcohol. Kara was holding into the gun like you would hold a bull’s horns. Tom’s father, seeing that she wasn’t letting go of his weapon and still pushing him backwards, suddenly spun around with the gun. He was strong, and easily took Kara with him.

With the speed and power of the turn, Kara flew through the air. She felt her back and head hit something hard before that suddenly gave way, and she fell completely backwards. She could hear glass shattering, and felt something rough digging into her back and burnt hands as she scrambled to get up. It felt like she was walking on marbles. Kara realized that she had flown through a glass door, and Maggie was right next to her, looking surprised. She must have heard the gun shot, and was about to go into the home when Kara went flying through the door.

Kara didn’t take a moment to pause, seeing that Tom’s dad had turned to point his gun back at Alex, who was also trying to get up after being smacked with a shotgun. Kara bolted back into the house, and tackled the man with so much force that it knocked the wind out of her own lungs. He screamed out in surprise, trying to roll onto his stomach to get up. Kara, who got pinned between the man and the floor, wrapped her legs around his waist. She dug her heels into his inner thighs, while also trying to put him into a type of head lock. She wrapped her arms around the front of his shoulders, and tightly clasped her hands behind his head, pulling backwards so that she had full control of where he was looking.

Alex and Maggie ran to Kara’s aid, Alex taking the cuffs she had brought with her out and cuffing Tom’s dad. As soon as he was restrained, Kara let go of her hold, scrambling up. Now that the threat was gone, she could safely look for Tom. Kara called out his name, throwing open every door she passed. “Tom, I’m here! It’s Kara! You’re safe!” She noticed a door with deep gouges in it, as if someone had been smashing against it. “Tom!?” Kara knocked loudly on the door.

She heard a small whimper from inside, but no real response. Kara took a step back, and kicked in the door. Tom screamed, and started to cry some more as Kara walked into the room. He was curled up on his bed, pressed so far into the corner that he looked like a shadow in his dark clothing. “Tom, It’s Kara!” She carefully moved over to him, not wanting to freak him out any more. “I-I heard gun shots?” He looked past her, to the doorway, still crying heavily.

Kara slowly kneeled on the bed, crawling over to Tom. He instantly moved into her open arms, huddling into her chest as he cried. Kara softly hushed him, but when she went to pet his hair, she realized there was blood all over her hands. She must have cut them on the glass. So instead, Kara hugged Tom so tightly, she was a little worried he wasn’t able to breath. Regardless, Tom didn’t complain.

The sound of more officers coming into the home echoed through the home. Kara was still holding on to Tom when she saw Lena practically run into the room. Her eyes were wide, and her face was pale. “Oh my god, you’re okay!” She looked as if she was about to cry, seeing that Kara was in fact alive, and not shot or anything. “Yeah, I’m fine… Did they take the father away?” She didn’t want to let Tom go until she knew he was perfectly safe.

Lena nodded, glancing back over her shoulder, “They were pulling him out of the house when I came in. Alex and Maggie are giving their statements, but I think they want yours as well.” Tom pulled his face out of Kara’s chest, and looked to Lena in surprise. “Ms. Luthor? Why are you here?” Lena looked just as startled. “Oh my god, Tom?!” She looked to Kara, obviously confused. “This is the boy you picked up a few months ago? Tom, you told me you got hurt in a work accident!” Lena frowned, and Tom looked sheepish. “I thought if I listened to him, then it would stop…” He looked like he was about to start crying again, so Kara gave him a squeeze. “You’re safe now, and that’s all that matters.”

Eventually Tom felt comfortable enough to leave his room, allowing for Kara to go talk with the other officers. As she was giving her statement, Alex walked over and randomly touched the back of her head. Kara winced, and shied away from the touch, glaring at her sister. “What did you just do?!” Kara touched the spot again, and hissed at the stinging pain. “You’re bleeding from your head… There’s an ambulance outside; you need to go get checked out.”

Lena, who was also giving a small statement to another officer, looked to Kara with a deep frown. She looked worried, obviously looking Kara over to see if she could find anymore wounds. Kara sighed, but did as Alex told her to do.

Kara’s injuries were a little more than she thought. Her hands were burned and cut, the back of her head was split open, and she had glass embedded into her back where she fell. The paramedics cut the back of Kara’s shirt, and were in the middle of getting glass out of her wounds when Lena walked up, that same worried frown on her face. “Are you okay?” She glanced at the bandages on her hand.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Kara chuckled, trying to play her pain off as humor, “Just don’t grab a gun when it goes off. It can burn you, apparently.” Lena didn’t look amused. She stared Kara in the eyes until Kara looked down at the ground. Lena moved to peak around at the gash on Kara’s head, and the scratches on her back. The paramedic was cleaning the cuts up with a solution that made Kara wince with each dab of the cotton pad. Lena reached over and put a reassuring hand on her thigh, squeezing lightly. That made Kara feel infinitely better, smiling over to her best friend.

The group of girls had to stay on scene for another hour. Kara had to be tested for a concussion- which she thankfully didn’t have –but then was released with general directions on how to clean and rebadge her hands. Once everything was wrapped up, they all piled back into Lena’s car, an exhausted hush settling around them. Kara had to hold the back of her shirt closed, because there was nothing else to change into.

Once back at Alex’s apartment, Kara went to her own car. Maggie followed Alex inside the building, and Lena took a moment to follow Kara. “Are you sure you’re okay? Do you think you’ll be able to drive?” She glanced down at Kara’s hands. “I’ll be fine. They don’t hurt.” It was a lie. They actually burned and stung like crazy, each time Kara flexed her fingers. She hid the pain well, apparently, because Lena let it go with a small nod. “Text me when you get home.” It wasn’t a suggestion; it was an order.

Kara smiled sweetly at Lena, finding it nice that she cared so much. She nodded, and allowed Lena to carefully hug her. “Drive safe… Oh, and just so you know, I would have totally pulled you over if I saw you driving like you were earlier.” Lena laughed as she pulled away, allowing Kara to get into her car.

It was hard driving with only her finger tips, but regardless Kara got home alright. She texted Lena that she was safe, but instead of going straight to bed, she called on of the officers that stayed at the scene after she left. She asked him what was going to happen to Tom now that his dad was going to jail. “His mom lives a few states away. She’s already agreed to take him in.” A warm feeling of satisfaction spread through Kara as she smiled at the news. She thanked the officer before hanging up, now finally able to flop into her bed and sleep peacefully.

**********

Kara was eating lunch at the diner, casually scrolling through her phone as she slowly ate her fries. Her hands and other wounds were almost completely healed. There were still some scabs on her palms, and a few on her back, but otherwise she was fine. There was no stiffness in her fingers, and the headache she had for three days straight was completely gone.

There was a lot of movement next to her, suddenly. Kara looked up to see Alex sitting at the bar next to her, setting her hat down. “Oh, hey,” Kara greeted. She smiled to her sister, but noticed that the smile Alex gave her wasn’t real. She looked anxious, her eyes not resting on one thing. “What’s wrong?” Kara raised her eyebrows, frowning.

“Wrong? Nothing’s wrong.” Alex spoke a little too quickly, and her leg was bouncing. “Listen, are you free tonight? I wanted to talk with you about something.” It was odd that Alex was suddenly inviting her to hang out, but Kara went along with it. “Yeah, I’m free. Do you want to go somewhere?” Alex shook her head. “No, just come over to my place.”

Kara pursed her lips, but nodded in agreement, mumbling an ‘uh, okay’. She noticed that Maggie wasn’t around, even though they almost always went on lunch at the same time together. Kara silently wondered if there was something wrong between them. She didn’t get a chance to ask, however, Alex already grabbing her hat and sliding off of the stool

“Wait, you’re not going to get something to eat?” Kara turned, watching her sister walk away. “No, I’ve got something else I need to do.” Alex was gone before Kara could even question what she had to do. Kara watched through the windows as she walked stiffly, her shoulders tense, as she got back into her cruiser.

Kara thought about the weird interaction for most of the day. She wondered what Alex had to talk to her about? Had she heard something about Lena? Kara knew that their rescue of Tom had gotten some attention. Thankfully James knew to stay away from it. If he even tried to talk negatively about the police force, he’d lose half of his clients.

Alex was at her desk when Kara walked into the office after her patrol. She still looked anxious, chewing on her nail as she stared at her computer. Kara looked over to Maggie, who refused to look up from the paperwork she was writing on. Kara noticed that she wasn’t actually writing anything, just scribbling across a notepad. Kara had a feeling that were talking right before she entered the room.

Kara cleared her throat loudly, grabbing her stuff from her desk. “Do you want me to meet you there, Alex?” She raised an eyebrow at her sister. Alex stiffly turned to look at Kara, nodding. “Alright... Maggie, you tagging along?” She turned to look at Maggie, who only looked up with her eyes. “Uh, no. I’ve got something else to do tonight.” She wasn’t as tense as Alex was, but she still seemed worried about something.

Grabbing her bag and car keys, Kara left. Normally she would stop at her cabin to get changed, but instead she went straight to Alex’s apartment. She waited outside, sitting in her car until she saw Alex pull up. Kara got out straight away, walking over to her sister as she got out of her own vehicle. “So are you going to tell me what’s up? Why have you been acting so weird?”

Alex’s face flushed, and she looked a little more panicked. Whatever she wanted to talk about really must have gotten her anxiety going. “Let’s go upstairs,” Alex said, leading the way into the building. Of course she didn’t start talking even when they were in her apartment. She anxiously started to clean some things up. There was clothing laying on the back of the couch. One of the items was the blue officer’s shirt that both Alex and Kara were wearing.

Kara went to go pick it up and question why her sister was just throwing around her uniform around, but noticed that there was a different name embroidered above the breast pocket. ‘M. Sawyer’… Why did Alex have Maggie’s uniform strewn across her couch? She held it up for Alex to see, raising her eyebrow. “What’s this?”

Alex froze, looking like she just got caught doing something bad. “Uh… Maggie spent the night last night.” Kara was confused as to why Alex was so worried about her knowing that. The two of them were inseparable, it didn’t surprise her in the least bit that Maggie had spent the night. “Seriously, Alex, why are you acting so weird?”

Kara set Maggie’s shirt down, eyebrows furrowing as she watched Alex take a deep breath. “I’m in love with Maggie.” Alex had spoken so fast that Kara had to take a moment to decipher what she had said. She was in love with Maggie? A hundred different questions popped up in Kara’s head.

“Does Maggie know?” Kara moved around the couch, unsure if she should sit down, or continue standing with Alex. “She does… I told her last night.” She fidgeted with her utility belt, both of them still in uniform. Oh, so that explains why Maggie was also acting so weird. “And how did that go?”

Alex frowned, and for a moment Kara thought she was going to have to beat the crap out of Maggie. “She says she feels the same, but…” Alex side, and flounced down on the couch. Kara took the opportunity to sit down as well, in a chair across from her sister. “But what?” Kara questioned.

“But she doesn’t want us to be hidden… From our family, that is. She gets the whole small town thing, but she wants you and mom to know.” Alex slumped forward, putting her hands in her face. “Do you think mom is going to react badly?” Alex just shrugged her shoulders at a weird angle, her face still hidden. “I don’t know… I kind of thought you might have a weird reaction.” Kara tried not to be offended. Why would she have a weird reaction? “I’ve got friends who also like women,” She reasoned.

Alex looked up, eyebrows furrowed for a moment as if she was thinking. “Lena likes women?” Kara’s eyes went wide, realizing how reckless she just was. Did she honestly think that Alex wouldn’t figure out who liked women out of her tiny list of friends? “You didn’t hear that from me,” Kara quickly said, pointing a finger at her sister. Alex paused for a moment before she snorted. “Okay, fine, I won’t say anything… You’re sure everything is okay, though? You’re not mad or anything?”

“Why would I be mad? I’d be happy for you, if you weren’t acting like it’s the end of the world! If you’re seriously worried about mom, why don’t you call her?” Kara tilted her head. She smiled, seeing her sister slowly relax knowing that she was safe. “I’d like to tell her in person.” Kara hummed in understanding. “Alright… Well then how about you tell her during Thanksgiving? It’s coming up, and we both scheduled it off to go see mom.” Alex slowly started to nod, agreeing with the idea. “I’ll just have to tell Maggie that I will tell mom later. She’ll understand.”

Alex was now smiling, the tension completely gone from her body. Kara was happy to know that Alex finally found someone. She’d never really dates and guys, much like Kara, and she always seemed so lonely. “So… You really love her, huh?” Kara leaned the side of her head against a propped up fist. Alex blushed and nodded. “Yeah, I really do… I think ever since I first saw her, really. We just clicked, you know?”

Kara thought about Lena. They became really good friends very fast, and now they were nearly inseparable. “How do you know for sure? That you’re in love with a woman?” Kara was curious. Recently she had been thinking more and more about Lena. Their relationship meant the world to her, and ever since Lena mentioned that maybe she didn’t like men it’s been bothering her. She wanted to show her brain that it wasn’t attraction that she was feeling, just a sense of closeness with her best friend.

“Well… It’s kind of hard to explain.” Alex shrugged, thinking for a moment. “She makes me feel like we’re in our own little world. I can be with her and forget everything around us. I’ve never really felt that with a guy, honestly. I’d try to think of myself with someone, and I could never really fully wrap my head around it. It felt like a fantasy for someone else, but not me.

“When I’m thinking of me and Maggie, though, it just feels… Perfect? It’s an indescribable feeling, honestly. It’s completely natural. Nothing’s forced, and I’m always comfortable around her.” Somehow Kara understood the feeling. She watched her sister talk, but instead of envisioning Alex and Maggie together, she saw herself and Lena. She daydreamed about _her_ shirt on the back of Lena’s couch. She imagined them together in their own world, pretending like everyone else didn’t exist.

“She makes me laugh- like truly laugh. I’m always so happy whenever we’re together, and I find myself thinking about her when we’re not with each other.” Kara was trying not to draw too many parallels. Her and Lena were different. It made scenes for Alex and Maggie to get together, just listening to the way Alex talk, but… Her and Lena didn’t talk like that. Sure, Kara would praise Lena often when talking about her to others, and Lena did make her laugh much more easily than others, but it was just because they were best friends.

Alex giggled a little as she spoke, reminiscing. “You know, one day me and Maggie got off of work together and went back to her house. We were so tired, though, that we just laid in her bed and fell asleep to the TV. I thought she cuddled in her sleep, because she started to lay basically on top of me. I was so nervous to move, because I didn’t want to wake her up. Turns out she was just flirting, and I was completely oblivious.”

Kara thought about the time up on the mountain trail. They way Lena had been moving close to her, and commented on how good her body looked… No, that wasn’t her flirting. She was just being comfortable around Kara. There was no way. Why was Kara even wondering about this?! She was straight! Even if Lena was flirting, Kara wasn’t into ladies. She was just romanticizing the idea, because she wanted to be as happy as her sister was right now.

The two siblings talked for a little while longer, but Kara couldn’t get out of her head. She was battling with herself, trying to convince herself that there were no parallels between her and Lena versus Alex and Maddie.

Kara left feeling silently confused. She wished Alex and Maggie a happy relationship before she left, hugging her sister tightly. She drove home, struggling to keep her mind off of Lena. She wasn’t in love with her, and she wasn’t gay. They were close friends, and that was all… But if she really thought that, then why did she get so much joy at the mental image of her and Lena together?

**********

It was Veterans day, and everyone in the group had it off. They all planned on meeting up at the town’s bar to have a couple of drinks. Kara was just finishing getting ready, slipping the shirt over her shoulders. She was wearing a white button up, tucking it into her navy blue pants with a belt. Her hair was up in a tight bun, and she had on a little more make up than usual.

Zeus whined seeing her getting ready, so she made sure to give him lots of pets. She felt bad leaving him all the time, but it made her feel a little better knowing that her and Lena planned on taking him to the hiking trails soon. She gave Zeus a big kiss on the forehead, laughing when her lipstick showed up on his fur. She wiped if off with her thumb before leaving the house to head for the town bar.

Alex and Maggie were the first ones there, having already gotten a booth for the group to sit at. They were dating for about two weeks now, so they came together. The bar was already relatively full, and Kara could tell some people were quite drunk. She wasn’t planning on drinking, knowing that she had to drive home. If fact, Kara assumed none of them were going to drink. While Maggie was spending the night at Alex’s apartment, she didn’t want to be the only one drinking.

Winn showed up a few minutes after Kara, greeting the group loudly over the buzz of conversation around them. Everyone greeted Winn with a collective, “Heyyy!” He grinned, sitting down across from in the half circle booth. Maggie was to Kara’s left, and there was an open spot where Lena would sit at her right. Speaking of which, Lena was still missing.

Kara sat up straight, straining her neck to try and see around the crowed. Maybe she could spot Lena? She noticed her hair first; raven waves cascading down over her shoulders. With each step you could see the light shining on her hair. She wore a deep red lipstick, that almost looked back. Lena also wore a button up, but this one was sleeveless, and dipped low in into a ‘V’. It was crimson, matching with a pair of burgundy pants. When she smiled, spotting Kara, it felt like there was no more air in the room.

Lena was absolutely beautiful, even though what she was wearing was relatively simple. It took Kara a moment to return the smile, her jaw slightly ajar. “Hey, guys, sorry I’m late!” Lena swung into the booth, right next to Kara. The overwhelming scent of roses and berries filled Kara’s nose. She couldn’t help but take in a deep breath.

“It’s not a problem. We were just chatting, you didn’t miss anything,” Winn answered. Lena chuckled, turning to Alex and Maggie to give them a nod. Winn was the only one in the group who didn’t know that Alex started to date Maggie. Not that he was untrustworthy, or would have a bad reaction, he just had a really hard time keeping his mouth shut.

The group talked together, Lena telling them about how it was almost impossible to find a parking spot. “I had to park in the grass at the side of the building. I guess your sports car couldn’t do that though, huh?” Kara told Lena, grinning at her. She tried not to constantly look at her, but for some reason she couldn’t take her eyes off of her. Lena smiled sweetly to the comment. She was leaning forward onto her elbows on the table, resting her chin against her palm.

Kara tried not to look- because it was incredibly rude to take advantage of your friend like that –but she couldn’t help the fact that she noticed exactly how low Lena’s shirt went. When she leaned forward like that, Kara could see straight down at it. The first time Kara noticed, she quickly turned away, but she couldn’t ignore her friend all night. She turned to look at Lena when she spoke, her eyes automatically darting down at her chest when a dark flash of color caught her eyes. No one else could see it, because Kara was the only one at the right angle, but she could see the oddly sexy black bra that Lena was wearing.

Once again, her eyes quickly darted away. Stop looking down Lena’s shirt! That’s rude! Kara could feel her face getting red, and there was a weird feeling in her stomach. Kara chalked it up to the heat of the bar that was making her get all red in the face. She turned away from Lena, listening to Alex talk.

“Hey, guys, I have an idea!” Winn said after about an hour of them just sitting around and talking. They all had gotten nonalcoholic drinks, Kara sipping on some coke. Everyone looked at Winn as he made his suggestion, “Why don’t we play truth or dare? Nothing major, I know we don’t want to look like complete idiots. Just small things.” Everyone looked at Winn in confusion. How in the world were they going to do dares without having to get up and move around?

“Here, I’ll give an example,” Winn turned to Lena, who was basically sitting across from him, “Truth or dare?” Out of curiosity, Lena chose dare. “Okay, I dare you to drink that entire glass of soda in under five minutes.” The table collectively snickered at the idea, but it sounded fun. Lena accepted the dare. Instead of just gulping it down through the straw, Lena picked up the glass and practically inhaled the entire drink. It was quite impressive to see, and she didn’t even smear her lipstick.

“Okay, my turn,” Lena turned to Kara, “Truth or dare?” Kara thought for a moment before picking truth. “Who has the nicest butt here?” Everyone laughed at the question, and Kara tried to not blush too much. If she honestly at to answer, it would be Lena. However, she decided to be comical about it. “Uh, Winn?” Again, the table laughed. Eventually it was Kara’s turn. She looked at Maggie, and asked her the same thing; truth or dare? Maggie chose dare. Kara glanced between her sister and her girlfriend.

“Give Alex a new hairstyle in under two minutes.” She grinned, watching Maggie look a little confused. She turned to Alex, and stared at her for a moment, trying to figure out what to do. Alex’s hair was about chin length, and her bangs were already pulled back with a bobby pin in a cute bump up. Maggie took the bobby pin out, and took the hairband that was around her wrist, pulling just the front pieces of Alex’s hair back. She tied her hair into a sort of half-up, laughing when half of it slipped out of the hair tie. By then the two minutes were up, so Alex had to stay like that for a few more minutes, the group decided.

When Maggie asked Alex what she wanted to choose, she also chose dare. Maggie dared Alex to eat an entire spoonful of ketchup. “Oh, no, she got off easy!” Kara called out, watching as Alex practically scrambled for the ketchup in the center of the table. “Jokes on you; I absolutely love ketchup.” Forgoing the spoon, Alex squirted a healthy amount of ketchup straight into her mouth. Lena gasped and covered her mouth with a hand, and Kara pretended to start gagging.

Alex then asked Winn, who chose truth. “Have you ever had a crush on anyone at this table?” Kara thought knew the answer straight away, laughing as she watched Winn get bright red. “Uh, yeah… All of you, actually.” There was a moment where no one said anything before all at once they started to laugh. He blushed impossibly more, calling over the laughter, “Okay, randomized round! Kara, truth or dare?”

Kara chose dare. “I dare you to kiss Maggie,” Winn said with a mischievous smirk. Kara froze, looking from Winn, to Maggie, and then to Alex. The look her sister was giving her was one step away from murder. She was visibly thinking ‘if you do that, then I’ll kill you’. Kara quickly turned back to Winn. “No, I’m not doing that in front of all these people. Pick another dare.” Winn huffed, and took a moment to look around for inspiration.

He noticed that there was a karaoke booth in the corner. It wasn’t set up for the entire bar to hear, just the singer and their group. “Sing us a song,” Winn said, gesturing to the karaoke booth. That was a much easier dare, albeit still awkward. Everyone got up and shuffled over to the special booth. There wasn’t anyone using it, and no one was really paying attention when Winn turned it on and it instantly started to play demo songs.

Kara sighed anxiously, tapping a finger against her thigh as she bent down, scrolling through the songs on the machine. It was hooked up to a big TV, so that people could see the lyrics and a little music video. Kara noticed a song that she kind of recognized. She had only heard it once, and couldn’t remember the lyrics, but knew it was a good one. Kara chose “Favorite Sin – Ash Morgan”.

Straight away the song started. That was a small exposition, but the vocals started straight away.

‘ _You pulled me in_

_Your lips shocked mine_

_They call it temptation_

_But you feel so right_ ’

Kara blushed, feeling awkward as her voice cracked a few times. It was hard to sing with no warm up. She glanced across her group of friends, but of course her eyes landed on Lena, who was smiling wide as she sang.

‘ _And I thought_ ’

Their eyes locked, and everything around Kara fell away.

‘ _This girl could be my new_

_Favorite Sin_ ’

She was no longer singing to the group. She was singing specifically to Lena. No one else existed, except the two of them. Lena’s smile slowly faded away, an unreadable expression on her face.

‘ _My favorite sin_ ’

The beat picked up, and the lyrics paused for a moment. Kara pulled the mic from her mouth, but didn’t look away. She could feel the walls she had set up in her mind coming down.

‘ _Oh, you’re heavenly in that beanie_

_It’s your halo_

_And I’ll pray for you, say so_ ’

Her heart was fluttering faster, but it wasn’t from the anxiety of singing. It was because she was excited. Kara could tell that her brain was no longer struggling with the truth.

‘ _A dirty mind so holy_

_And honey for skin_

_So sweet, my favorite sin_ ’

Kara still refused to look away, a small pause in the vocals. Lena still watched her with a serious, hidden emotion. It felt like they were truly connected now. Kara wasn’t afraid of that connection anymore. She was now fully aware…

‘ _Favorite sin_

_My favorite sin_ ’

Lena was her favorite sin. She knew that now.

‘ _Girl I wanna_

_Spoil you like no one did_

_Girl I wanna_

_Touch you like no man could_ ’

Her emotions swelled in her chest. All the pent up feelings she had been shoving down started to come up all at once. She conveyed as much of that emotion into her singing.

‘ _ambrosia on your skin_

_Nectar on your tongue_

_They say it’s wrong_

_But girl_

_Oh you’re heavenly in that beanie_ ’

The tension grew more and more as Kara’s walls crumbled. She was opening up, allowing Lena to see the parts that even Kara didn’t know she was hiding.

‘ _It’s your halo_

_And I’ll pray if you say so_

_A dirty mind so holy_

_And honey for the skin_ ’

Everything that Alex described about how she felt around Maggie is exactly how Kara felt around Lena.

‘ _So sweet, my favorite sin_ ’

The walls were completely down. Millions of thoughts swirled through Kara’s mind, but one stuck out the most.

‘ _Favorite sin_

_My favorite sin_ ’

Kara Danvers was in love with Lena Luthor…

The song slowed to an end, and Kara carefully lowered the mic. The cheering is what caused both Lena and Kara to blink, finally looking away from one another. “That was amazing!” Maggie said as she clapped. Kara licked her lips and swallowed hard. She had completely forgotten there were others around. It was hard to pull herself back into the moment, her mind still swimming. She glanced to Lena, who was now looking down at her lap.

The group went back to their table, and stared talking. Truth or dare was completely forgotten about by now. Lena sat next to Kara, and now that was all she could pay attention to. She was still trying to organize how exactly she felt. She loved Lena, that’s the major conclusion she came to, but did that make her gay?

Kara’s mind thought back to the night after the terrible date. Lena had suggested that maybe her lack of connection with men was because she only liked women. Kara tried thinking back into her childhood. Were there any true feelings she had for a guy? It didn’t take Kara long to come to the conclusion that no, she never had any real feelings for a man.

So what about a woman? Had she ever had a crush on a woman, other than Lena, and not realized it? Kara silently chewed her lip as she thought. Alex was telling some story that Kara couldn’t follow along to. Lena was also quiet next to her. She sat close like she usually did, but there was still a lot of tension between them. Was Kara making it up, or was it sexual tension?... She couldn’t focus on that right now. She needed to think.

There were a lot of women that Kara had idolized when she was younger. She absolutely loved Louis Lane as a child. Everyone easily chalked it up to her wishing she was with Superman, but that excuse never really sat right with her. She remembered staring at her Louis Lane poster in her room for hours a night. She daydreamed about meeting her, and talking to her. She would have full on conversations in her head, which in hindsight was pretty amusing.

It wasn’t just Louis Lane, however. It was her friends as well. She’d always have incredibly close friendships with the other girls. Whenever they had sleep overs, Kara would always be very anxious when sleeping next to another female friend. She had told herself it’s because she didn’t want to wake them up or kick them in her sleep, but now it seemed like it was because she was attracted to that friend.

It was a while before the group called it a night. Kara was still lost in thought, slowly coming to the conclusion that maybe she actually was gay? Her brain was fighting it, saying she was making things up, but after her realization about her feelings, Kara wasn’t so sure how trustworthy her brain was.

The group walked out to their cars, Kara walking Lena to her vehicle since it was parked farther away. Lena was casually chatting, but she also sounded rather distracted. When they got to Lena’s car, she didn’t go in it straight away. Instead, she turned to Kara and leaned back against the door. “That song was beautiful.” She smiled sweetly to Kara.

Heat spread across Kara’s cheeks and chest. Did Lena notice how Kara was looking at her? She gave a small shrug, trying to not show any panic or anxiety. “I didn’t really know what I was singing. It was a random song.” It wasn’t entirely a lie, although now it didn’t feel so random. It actually had some meaning.

Lena raised her eyebrow, and seemed to be trying to hide a smirk. “Really? Because you weren’t looking at the lyrics the entire time.” Kara wanted to be confident. She wanted to step forward and say something smooth. She wanted to blurt out how she thought she actually might be gay, and that she had feelings for Lena. Instead, she shrugged and bashfully smiled. “I could see them in my peripheral.” Lena made a soft, amused humming sound.

She crossed her arms under her chest, drawing Kara’s attention to her outfit. “You look great, by the way. I think you always look really nice with your hair down.” The closest thing to ‘confident’ Kara could muster up was reaching forward to push a strand of hair behind Lena’s ear. “I’ve always loved the color,” Kara spoke in almost a whisper. She looked at the way the moonlight shone brilliant through her hair, as if it was stars in a night sky.

Kara’s eyes moved from Lena’s hair, and to her face. She studied her lips, the way they were slightly parted, and the deep crimson color that seemed to be Lena’s favorite color. She looked at her eyes, watching them looking around her own face. Lena’s eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly. Kara hadn’t noticed that her hand was still outstretched, fingers lightly resting against the edge of her jaw. Kara swallowed hard. She wanted to move closer, and see how Lena would react.

The sound of a car honking in the distance made Kara jump, snapping her out of the separate world she was in with Lena. Her hand instinctively dropped, and she started to look around. The moment was gone; Lena shifting to stand up straight. “Are you doing anything for Thanksgiving?” Kara tried not to frown, feeling kind of annoyed at the mood change. “Uhm… Yeah, me and Alex are driving to Colorado to spend the day with my mom.”

Lena’s eyebrows raised, looking a little surprise. “Are you doing that all in one day?” Kara shook her head. “No, me and Alex asked for an extra day off together. With Maggie now working with us, we’re able to have both Thanksgiving and Black Friday off.” The officers already got Thanksgiving off, but normally had to work the day after.

There was a pause where Kara and Lena just looked at each other. After a few seconds Kara cleared her throat, and took a step back. “Text me when you’re home, okay?” Lena’s usual smile spread across her face. Now it made sense why Kara always wanted to make her smile. “You as well.” With that, Kara turned and walked away.

She felt like a new person. She had figured out she was probably gay, and in love with her best friend all in one night. It was a lot to unpack and handle. Kara drove home and went to bed thinking about Lena, and wondering if she should tell her how she felt straight away. She fell asleep before she could reach a conclusion.

**********

This was either going to be the best, or the worst Thanksgiving Kara was ever going to have. Not only was Alex planning on coming out to their mom, but so was Kara. It had been a few days since Kara fully accepted that she was in fact a lesbian. It was a rough few days of self-reflection, and Kara had to battle through a lot of internalized homophobia. There were still some nights where she lay awake, terrified that maybe she was wrong, and that in a few years she would have to admit that she was wrong.

However, Kara’s feelings for Lena never wavered, and that seemed to help a lot. She knew for a fact that she was in love with her best friend. Did she know if Lena felt the same way? No. Did she plan on telling Lena how she felt sometime soon? Probably not. There had been urges here and there while they were texting to question Lena and see how she felt, but something always stopped her.

Kara hadn’t told anybody about her recent realizations, feeling like it would be easiest to tell her sister and mom all together. Plus, Alex had already asked her to try and think of something to tell her mom right after she told her about Maggie, to help ‘lessen the blow’.

So here they were, in Colorado, pulling up to their mother’s house. They both got out of the car, groaning and stretching as they stood for the first time in hours. It had been a long drive, and they had done it all in one sitting. They didn’t even need to knock on the door, their mother already hurrying out of her home. She squealed loudly, grabbing the closest daughter to her. Alex grunted at the force of the hug, but was smiling and laughing all the same.

Kara was able to brace herself before her mom grabbed her and hugged her tightly. “Hey, momma,” Kara giggled into her shoulder as she reciprocated the hug. “How are you guys?! It’s been so long! I have so much to tell you! Kara, I heard you got hurt at work? You guys need to tell me everything!” She spoke so fast that it was hard to keep up.

“Let’s get inside first,” Alex suggested. Her mom happily agreed, ushering her daughters into the little farm house. It smelt just as Kara remembered it. There was a warm atmosphere that always seemed to embody the house. Kara took in a deep breath, smiling. She could also smell the dinner her mom had spent all day cooking. The two sisters had brought desert, to try and help out a little bit.

Her mom wanted to know all about the past few months. The last time they had seen each other was last Christmas, and a lot had happened since then. Kara could tell that Alex was nervous to start talking, so Kara went first. She started talking about the past few months, mentioning Lena as well as Maggie. By then Alex started to pipe in, talking a lot about her girlfriend. Their mother happily listened, going along with the story. When she had heard about James, she frowned deeply, and when Kara told the story of Tom she almost cried.

By the time the two sisters were finished telling the events of the past few months, they had taken turns running to the car to grab their bags and other items. Dinner was ready by then, so they helped their mom set the table and bring out the meal. There was a monstrous amount of food, and Kara questioned how long it took their mom to make all this. She shrugged and answered simply, “Well I woke up around five this morning, and didn’t stop cooking till about an hour before you guys got here.”

Alex and Kara were dumfounded. She had been cooking literally all day?! They praised their mother, but also scolded her for over working herself. Mrs. Danvers just laughed and waved them off. Kara served herself a large portion as usual, humming excitedly as she at everything. As they ate, their mom asked them more questions. “So, how are things going with your love lives- besides the fiasco with James, that is.” She waggled her eyebrows at her daughters, who both exchanged looks.

“Well, you remember Maggie from your stories?” Alex stared, looking anxious. Their mother nodded with a raised eyebrow. “Well… We’re actually dating. We have been for a few weeks.” Their mom went silent, and Alex glanced anxiously over to Kara, her eyes pleading for Kara to say something. Kara had been thinking about saying this the entire ride to Colorado, but even then she panicked.

“And I’m in love with Lena,” she blurted. Both Alex and her mother looked at her with wide, surprised eyes. “What?!” Alex practically yelled. Kara went bright red, trying to hide her face behind her drink as she took a sip of it. “Uhm, yeah… I kind of realized it when we all went out on Veterans day.”

The room was absolutely silent, so Kara tried to be comical about it, unsure of what to do. “Surprise?” She said, doing little jazz hands. “Uh, well… That’s a lot to take in… Does Lena know?” Their mom asked, noticing that Kara never said anything about them dating. Kara frowned and shook her head. “I’ve been trying to figure that one out.”

“Wait, so you don’t mind that both your daughters like women?” Alex asked, just to confirm she understood. Their mother laughed aloud, shaking her head. “Girls, as long as you’re both happy, and it’s not harming anyone, I don’t care. I’m glad you two have found someone- even if they don’t know –and I hope everything works out for the best. You’re my daughters, I love you no matter what.” Kara and Alex smiled wide, incredibly relived that their mother accepted them.

The rest of Thanksgiving went well. Kara ate so much that she felt sick afterwards. Their helped their mother clean the left overs, receiving quite a bit to bring home. At the end of the night they all laid in the living room, watching some goofy movies and just having a good time.

Kara had been texting Lena ever since they finished dinner. She wanted to wish her a happy Thanksgiving, so she asked if Lena was too busy to call.

‘ _I’d be happy to hear your voice right now. It’s lonely over here in West Alpine._ ’

That was all the validation she needed. Kara quickly stood, excusing herself. Alex gave her a knowing look, winking at her as she grabbed a blanket, taking it outside to the back porch. There was a bench swing there, so Kara wrapped herself up and called Lena as she sat down. Lena picked up on the first ring.

“Hey! How was your drive?” Kara’s heart swelled with happiness as she heard Lena’s beautiful voice. “Long, and Alex wouldn’t top playing Country music. It was beautiful, though.” Lena giggled on the other side of the line, and Kara smiled so wide that it hurt her cheeks. “What are you up to right now?” Kara used her heel to start rocking, staring out into the beautiful field behind her mother’s house. The stars looked beautiful tonight.

“I’m sitting at my kitchen counter, trying to stop myself from eating all these brownies in one sitting.” Kara snorted, imagining an entire pan of brownies completely empty, safe for a few crumbs in front of Lena. “Save one for me!” She could practically hear Lena smiling on the other end of the line. “Alright, I’ll save one, I guess.” The two girls giggled together. Kara felt like she was in high school again.

There was a pause before Lena asked, “So what are you doing right now? I’m not taking you away from your family, am I?” Kara scoffed. For someone who didn’t exactly have a family, she was rather worried about Kara’s. “They’re just watching some cheesy rom-com. You’re giving me an excuse to get out of there… I’m actually looking out at the stars. You should come join me.”

Kara could hear shuffling on the other end of the line, making her smile. “I’m already grabbing my jacket and blankets. Give me one second; I’ll be right there.” Kara silently listened to Lena running around her apartment. She missed her, and wished they were actually looking at the stars in person. Still, this was the next best thing.

Her mind wandered to what her mother asked her at dinner; Did Lena know that Kara loved her? Was now a good time to bring it up? Kara sighed heavily, but Lena must have set the phone down for a moment, because she wasn’t questioning the noise.

Something was stopping Kara from telling Lena. She was afraid, yes, but there were other things as well. What if she had been wrong about the looks her and Lena had been sharing? She didn’t want to tell Lena her feelings, only to get rejected. Her mind thought back on the day Lena told her about how she lost her best friend, because she felt awkward about how they didn’t have the same feelings. What if she distanced herself from Kara?

“Okay, I’m up on the roof. It’s a little cloudy over here, but I can still see quite a bit.” Kara smiled hearing Lena. “Did you ever take astronomy in college?” There was a quizzical pause before Lena said, “Yeah, why?” Kara shifted in the bench so that she could see a little more of the sky. “Tell me about the stars. Can you find the constellations?”

“Well… I can tell you that…” Lena went into an adorable speech about how you could see some of the planets tonight, and started talking about why the stars had certain names. Kara smiled to herself, listening to her patiently talk. It made her miss Lena even more, but regardless she was content.

Kara didn’t want to risk the friendship. She was happy just being able to hang around Lena and accept that she was in love. She’d rather Lena be in the dark, but still her best friend, versus Lena knowing and pushing Kara away.

Lena talked for over an hour, and Kara was content simply listening. She smiled whenever Lena made a sassy remark about how some of the star names were ridiculous. Kara almost fell asleep as she lounged on the swinging bench, but eventually Lena stopped talking. “I can hear your eyes drooping from here, Kara… Why don’t you get some sleep?” Kara frowned, not wanting Lena to stop talking.

“Because I don’t want you to be alone on Thanksgiving,” she admitted. There was a long pause where Kara almost thought she lost connection with Lena. After a moment, however, she heard Lena moving. “That’s sweet of you, but this isn’t my first Thanksgiving alone.” That made Kara frown even more. “Well I’m here now, so it’s going to be different… You can keep talking. I’ll listen to you.”

Lena softly chuckled, obviously smiling. “I’ll keep talking once I know you’re in bed… I’ll stay on the line, okay? We can go to bed with each other.” Kara smiled at the thought of listening to Lena’s voice until she fell asleep. “Deal… Give me a minute to say goodnight to my family.” Lena agreed, saying she needed to move all her blankets back down to her apartment.

Kara hugged her mom and Alex, who were still watching movies. She then went into her designated bedroom, dressing in her pajamas as she put Lena on speaker phone. Once she was curled up in bed, the fluffy duvet laying heavily on top of her, she started to talk to Lena. The two of them spoke for a little while before Kara was struggling to even form a sentence. Lena suggested that she read the book she had been reading aloud to Kara, who happily agreed.

She listened to the science talk, not understanding one word of it. Regardless, Kara started to doze off, a smile on her face. She was right on the verge of sleep when she vaguely processed that Lena had asked her if she was still awake. Kara didn’t answer, too tired to even think of a response. There was a soft, satisfied hum on the other end of the line, followed by a whispered, “I am so screwed.” That was the last thing Kara heard before she fell into one of the best sleeps she’s ever had.


	5. Loving and Losing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the end of the year. Lena has to leave suddenly to help her family, and Kara gets angry at her. James shows back up in Kara's life, and she's not all too happy to see him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for this chapter being so short. I wanted to end it on a specific note, and I didn't have a whole ton of time today.
> 
> Not to spoil the vagueness of what's going on in this chapter, but if you're squeamish I recommend you read this one with caution. (Edit: I've realized now that this chapter is going to be VERY graphic. Apologies for anyone who's gotten upset. That wasn't my intention, and next chapter will be much less triggering)
> 
> Have fun!  
> -Aries

Lena had already gotten to the diner by the time Kara pulled up. It was freezing outside, and Kara was wrapped in her thick uniform bomber jacket. Still, she instinctively shivered as she got out of the car, pulling the jacket around herself a little bit tighter. Kara hurried into the restaurant, smiling wide when she saw Lena.

They had decided the day before that Kara would take her lunch break a little earlier, so that she could go out with Lena. It was the first day of winter break, so Lena was finally off of work for the next few weeks. Lena returned Kara’s wide smile, having watched her hurry into the diner.

“Sorry I’m late,” Kara said as she went to sit down in the booth across from Lena, “I had to stop someone for running a stop sign on my way here.” Lena chuckled, leaning forward to rest her elbows on the table, and her chin on a hand. “Ooo, you get those criminals… Has your day been going well?” a waitress came over and silently filled a coffee cup for Kara, glancing oddly at Lena. Kara huffed at the waitress, but turned back to look at Lena with a grin.

She started talking about her day, and how she had seen the cutest cat while she was patrolling. Lena giggled as Kara told the story. She was drinking water, smiling around the straw as she listened. Kara didn’t realize that she had matched Lena’s pose as they talked together. Lena had started to talk about her day, pausing when the waitress asked them for their orders.

Lena had politely ordered a type of grilled sandwich. When she asked if she could make a change to it, the waitress started to give her attitude. Kara frowned, listening to her say that she would have to pay extra, no matter the changes. Lena looked confused, but before she could say anything Kara quickly spoke up, “No it’s not. It’s going to be on my tab.” Kara stared down the waitress with such intensity that the waitress had to quickly look away. “Right, of course. I apologize.” It paid off to be a cop in a small town sometimes. 

The waitress no longer had an attitude as Lena finished her order. Kara ordered her usual meal, but quickly added milkshakes for both of them. Lena smiled sweetly as the waitress walked away. “Are you sure? I don’t mind paying for half of it. I’m not going broke or anything, it’s not a big deal.” Kara smirked and waved Lena off. “Oh please, I don’t mind paying for our little dates… That and it’s going to be practically free, because I always get a huge discount on everything.”

“Oh yeah, I remember noticing that when we went out to the museum. I thought it bothered you?” Lena tilted her head. She didn’t seem to mind the comment of ‘little dates’. Kara, who was taking a sip of her extra sugary coffee, hummed softly. “Oh, it does. It’s just useful sometimes when people are being difficult to my best friend.” Kara shrugged and leaned back with her usual grin.

The two talked as usual, smiling and laughing with each other. Kara had yet to tell Lena that she was in love with her, but she still enjoyed just being around her. Sometimes it was frustrating, because there were so many moments that Kara wanted to just grab Lena’s face and kiss her. She’d daydreamed about it for hours whenever she was bored at work. She would also daydream about Lena randomly showing up at the office, or while she was laying around at home. It was a fun way to pass the time sometimes.

“So, are we still going to spend Christmas together?” Kara couldn’t contain the excited smile she gave Lena. They had been planning on spending the entire day together, and Lena even mentioned maybe spending the night after the big dinner they had planned. Alex and Maggie had taken the last half of the week off, including Christmas, to go on vacation up in the mountains. They were at a ski lodge, and Alex would text Kara pictures of what they had done that day every night. It was very beautiful up there.

“Of course I am! It’s going to be the first Christmas I’ve spent with someone I actually care about for a long time.” Kara tried to not let the comment go to her head. She felt happiness swell in her chest as she looked at the woman sitting across from her. It was going to be an amazing day. The thought of Lena also spending the night made Kara wonder if she really should tell Lena how she felt, just to see if she felt the same way. Still, she didn’t want to ruin their Christmas, so she held it in.

The waitress brought their food over, and Kara dug in straight away. Lena giggled at her, calling her a wild animal as she devoured her burger. They were about halfway through their meal when Lena’s phone suddenly went off. Her eyebrows furrowed, pulling the ringing devise out her pocket. She frowned at whoever was calling. “I’m so sorry, just give me one moment,” Lena said with an apologetic look.

She quickly answered the call, and gave the coldest, “Hello?” Kara had ever heard. All the emotion had left her face, her eyes staring blankly out the window they were sitting next to. She listened to whoever was on the other end of the line, frowning as they spoke. “You can’t just expect me to show up whenever you call. I have plans. I can’t make it.” The coldness in her voice practically made Kara shiver. It was terrifying seeing her shut down so quickly.

The person spoke some more, and Kara watched as a frustrated flush started to spread across Lena’s cheeks. “You’re seriously going to pull that?” A pause where Lena sighed, and pinched the bridge of her nose as she squeezed her eyes shut. Whoever she was talking to wasn’t telling her something she wanted to hear, apparently. “Seriously?... Fine. Three weeks, that’s all. I’m not coming back for good.” One last pause before, “Tell Lex this is the last time I’m saving his ass.”

Lena hung up without even saying goodbye. Kara frowned, realizing that it must have been her adoptive mom, Lilian, on the other end of the call. “Is everything okay?” Kara tried not to butt herself into Lena’s business, but Lena had gone silent for a moment, staring out the window. Most of the frustration left Lena’s face when she looked at Kara, but she still seemed very upset. “No, actually…” Lena groaned and put her face in her hands.

“What’s going on?” Kara reached forward, gently brushing her fingertips against the side of Lena’s arm. Lena dropped her hands away from her face, and gave Kara a small smile. She sighed and sat up straight as the smile faded away. “That was my mother…” Lena’s tone made Kara realize that whatever she was about to tell her wasn’t going to be good.

“Apparently my brother’s gotten himself in a scandal… She wants me to run L-Corp for a few weeks while he deals with the trial.” Lena paused, obviously trying to figure out what she had to say next. “… She also wants me to consider staying there… For good.” Kara stared at Lena for a moment, not knowing what to say. Lilian wanted Lena to move back to National City? After all her family put her through? Judging by the way Lena had shut down her emotions while talking to Lilian, Kara suspected that the relationship there wasn’t exactly healthy either.

Kara nibbled on her lip nervously as she tried to figure out what to say. Her eyebrow furrowed, and there was an uncomfortable feeling in her stomach. “Are you going?” She was there, and listening to the conversation, she knew the answer to her question. Lena gave her a sad look, like she didn’t want to hurt Kara, but she was going to have to. “Just for three weeks. I refuse to move back. They only need my help for those three weeks, I promise.” Three weeks wasn’t bad… Kara could handle not seeing her for three weeks. “However… I have to leave by tomorrow, because the trials are starting in two days.”

There was a sinking feeling in Kara’s stomach. She slowly drew the hand she had extended to Lena away. Tomorrow. She had to leave tomorrow. “What about Christmas?” Lena’s sadness only deepened on her face. She looked to the hand that had been drawn away from her, frowning. “Kara, I’m so sorry… Maybe I can find some time to call you? I don’t know if I’m going to be working that day, and…” She trailed off, seeing the anger on Kara’s face.

Was she seriously dropping Kara to go help the family that didn’t care for her? After talking about how this was going to be the happiest Christmas she was going to have in a long time? Kara tried not to feel betrayed, knowing that sometimes people didn’t have a choice when it came to family. In a way she felt like Lena was leaving her- someone she hoped she considered family –for the people who used and abused her, her entire life.

“It’s fine. I’ll figure something else out.” There was nothing to figure out. Alex and Maggie were gone, and Winn was spending the entire day with his family. Lena was the only one she had left to be around, but now she was leaving. Kara could feel a burning lump in her throat, and knew that if she didn’t leave now she would start to cry.

Kara glanced at her watch, not even fully reading the time. “I have to go. I’ll pay on my way out, don’t worry about it.” Lena didn’t have time to protest, Kara already scooting out of the booth and standing up. She paused, but didn’t fully look at Lena as she said, “I’ll see you in three weeks then… Be safe.” With that she walked away.

She quickly paid for their meals, and walked out. Kara didn’t look to Lena, knowing that if she did she would start crying, the pain in her throat growing. She managed to hold herself together for about five more minutes. She was in her car, and well away from the diner before she quickly pulled into a back alley and turned off her cruiser.

Kara covered the bottom half of her face with a hand as tears poured down her cheeks. She was angry, and sad. She wanted to scream, but instead she just started smacking her steering wheel roughly with the palm of her hand. Kara rocked forward in her seat, resting her forehead against wheel. She squeezed her eyes closed and cried for multiple minutes.

Even as the tears stopped, she couldn’t stop hiccupping, feeling nauseous from all the air she had swallowed. The crying hadn’t made her feel any better. She was still angry, and didn’t know what to do. She sat in her car for the rest of her lunch, some fresh tears rolling down her face when another wave of frustration hit her.

For the rest of the day Kara was in a terrible mood. She continued onto her patrol, but ended it early to go sit at her desk and glare at the computer screen for the hour of her shift. Winn tried to ask her what was wrong, but Kara refused to answer. She just mumbled, “Nothing,” And continued to practically burn holes into her monitor with her eyes.

The minute her shift ended Kara grabbed her bag angrily, and stormed out. She hadn’t really come to terms with the fact that it wasn’t entirely Lena’s fault. She did try to say no, although Kara angrily thought that she didn’t try hard enough.

As Kara got out of her car, already up at her cabin, she felt her phone buzz with a text. She frowned down at it, seeing it was Lena.

‘ _I know you’re angry, and I’m sorry… If you can please be patient, maybe we can have a late Christmas?... Please text me when you get the chance. I don’t want to leave with you angry._ ’

Kara closed her phone and walked into her house without answering the text. If she didn’t want to leave with her angry, then why was she leaving in the first place? Let Lex deal with his own problems. She didn’t owe them anything. If someone from this town had called her and asked her to drop everything to help them for three weeks, she would have stood her ground and said no.

For the rest of the night Kara simply sat angrily, stewing in her negative emotions. She skipped dinner, and had to try hard not to open the bottle of vodka she had in her freezer. She knew it wouldn’t be an amazing idea to drink on a work night, even if she was angry. Kara went to bed that night, still not texting Lena.

**********

It was New Year’s Eve, December 31st. Lena was still gone at National City, and Kara had only texted her a handful of times. The first was on Christmas day, asking her how things were going. She was still angry during that time, so it was brief. Lena had texted her back, saying it was a nightmare, and how she was working all day every day. Kara felt bad, knowing that she was having a hard time. She offered to call Lena, wondering if hearing her voice would help Lena’s day at all. Lena said it was a sweet offer, but she was in meetings all day, and wouldn’t be able to find time for an adequate conversation.

So, Kara spent her Christmas alone. She sat at home in her PJ’s, eating the food she had bought for her and Lena a few days prior. She didn’t realize how much she had been holding onto the phone call that Lena mentioned before leaving, so now that she knew there was going to be no call it just made her sad. She cried quite a bit that day.

The last time she had texted Lena was a day ago. She had asked Lena what she was planning for New Year’s, but Lena had never responded. It had been over a week since she had left now, and Kara missed her like crazy. She was starting to regret how she acted, feeling childish. She planned on calling Lena at midnight, just to hear her voice and properly apologize for her behavior.

As Kara was sitting at home, already off of work, she practically pounced on her phone when it buzzed with a text. She expected it to be Lena, but when she opened the text it was from an unknown number.

‘ _You’re a whore, you know that?_ ’

Kara’s eyebrows furrowed. Who the hell was texting her such rude things?

‘ _Who is this???_ ’

‘ _You know you ruined me, slut._ ’

‘ _I’m a police officer with the West Alpine PD. If you don’t tell me who you are, I’m just going to trace your number.It’s James, you bitch. Have you already forgotten about me?_ ’

James? Why the hell was James texting her so suddenly? It’s been months since they had stopped talking. What did he mean by ‘you ruined me’?

‘ _Why are you texting me, James?_ ’

‘ _I’m going to fucking kill you, bitch._ ’

Suddenly Kara’s phone started to ring, James’ number lighting up the screen. For a moment Kara wasn’t sure if she should answer it. At first she didn’t, allowing it to go to voicemail. There was about a two-minute pause before a voicemail popped up. Kara decided to listen to it.

“Are you ignoring me again, whore? I can fuck you up. You ruined me. I’m an amazing guy! You should have just said yes! I wouldn’t have had to start talking about your cunt of a best friend if you’d just said yes. I’m going to fucking kill you!” Kara quickly deleted the voice mail. What the hell was going on?! James sounded drunk, his words slurring as he spoke.

‘ _James, if you don’t leave me alone I’m going to charge you with harassment._ ’

‘ _Too late, bitch._ ’

Kara looked up from her phone, and started to look around her home. He was giving her death threats. What if he was already here? She was looking out in her backyard through a window when her phone went off again. James was calling her again, and this time she picked up. “What the hell is your problem?!” She could hear movement like leaves rustling on the other end of the line. “You should have said yes, bitch. I’m going to kill you; I’m going to fucking kill you.”

There was a loud bang, as if something slammed against the side of Kara’s cabin. Zeus started going nuts, growling and barking. “James, I’ve already called 911. Everyone’s on their way here. You need to go, _now_!” It was a lie, but maybe it would make James go away. Kara had started to go upstairs when she heard another loud bang, followed closely by the sound of glass breaking coming from her living room- which was right where her stairs were.

Kara turned to see the large figure of James climbing into her living room. Straight away Zeus was bolting over to him, snarling and growling as he launched himself at James. His jaws locked onto James’ forearm. He screamed in pain, trying to throw Zeus off. Kara didn’t see the knife in his hand until it was already in Zeus’ side. “No!” Kara screamed, thoughtlessly dropping her phone and running to go to her companions’ rescue.

Zeus had yelped and fallen to the ground, James kicking him before Kara could get to them. She tackled James, both of them sprawling to the floor. “I’m going to fucking kill you!” James screamed as he scrambled for his knife, which had fallen from his hand. Kara tried to grab the knife before him, but it was too late. She managed to jump back just in time to dodge his slash. James slashed wildly a second time before Kara was able to grab his arm.

She tried to throw him down to the ground, but Kara soon realized that it wasn’t just alcohol that impaired him. He quickly overpowered her, practically tossing her a few feet across the room. Kara landed heavily onto her shoulder, all the wind getting knocked out of her. She tried to get up, but James loomed over her. Before he could pin her to the ground, Kara kicked out, her heel hitting right between his legs.

James collapsed to the ground, and Kara scrambled to run away. She knew she couldn’t overpower him, not with whatever drug he was on. Kara knew her gun was in its safe upstairs. All she had to do was get there fast enough. Kara was five steps up the stairs when something grabbed her ankle, and yanked her leg. She fell, her face smashing into the ledge of one of the stairs. Instantly blood started to pour out of her nose and mouth as James dragged her down to the bottom of the stairs.

Kara tried not to scream, attempting to kick James again. He had learned this time, however, catching her foot before it could hit him. There was a flash of steel as he dropped down to pin Kara. She didn’t realize that he had actually plunged the large knife into her stomach. She thought he had just cut her as she tried to grab his hands, shoving him back a little bit. She didn’t feel a lot of pain, just a slight burning sensation, and some bleeding.

In the police academy, Kara had been trained on how to get out from under someone. She kept control of James’ hands, but yanked him close. That threw him off, expecting her to push him backwards. She curled to the side, and got her heel right under his hip. She kicked out with all her might, throwing him to the side. Instead of letting him go again and running, Kara rolled over with him, so she was now on top.

James roared in anger, managing to slip his hands away from Kara, stabbing up again. This time Kara knew she had been properly stabbed, watching the blade go straight into her belly. There was no time to react, James pulling the knife out, attempting to go for a third stab. Kara blocked it with her forearm, knocking his hands to the side. With her free arm she reeled back and punched James straight in the mouth.

His head knocked back, smashing into the hardwood floor. He tried again with the knife, but when Kara grabbed his hands again he realized he had to stun her first. Kara was so busy trying to not let her hands slip on the blood covering James’ that she wasn’t able to dodge the head butt. Their foreheads banged together, and Kara tipped backwards. She could see stars in her vision.

Kara felt her entire world get flipped backwards as James threw her off of him. He managed to get a third then a fourth stab in- this time in her side and hip. Kara could feel the blood smearing beneath her as she used her legs to push James away, but he just took the knife and slashed the inside of her thigh. This time she could feel the pain, so when she winced away he took the opportunity to fall back on top of her. There was no way she was going to be able to get away from him long enough to get her gun. He wasn’t giving up, either. If she tried to hold him down, he would simply overpower her.

She quickly came to the conclusion that one of them had to die for this fight to end. James threw both his arms back, holding the knife high in the air as he got ready to stab Kara straight in the chest. Kara took the opening to strike upwards. Her fist hit James straight in the throat, a sick crunching sound emanating from his now damaged windpipe. His strike froze in mid-air, eyes wide in surprise as he tried to get his breath back.

Kara didn’t waste any time. She reached up with both arms, grabbed the knife with one hand, and wrapped an arm around James’ elbow with the other. Simultaneously she yanked the knife, and bent James’ arm so hard that it cracked backwards. James dropped the weapon instinctively, screaming at is broken arm. Kara took the knife and shoved it up at a steep angle right through his ribs. She was grateful for her strength, knowing that she only had one shot to properly stab through the thick muscle and bone.

The blade was long enough that she knew it punctured both James’ heart and lung. Blood snorted out of his nose as he froze, splattering onto Kara’s face and chest. Kara bared her teeth as she ripped the knife out, and stabbed again. This time it didn’t go as far in, her strength starting to fade. James swayed above her before falling to the side. He wasn’t dead, but he was definitely dying.

Kara wasn’t done. She rolled over onto him, and with both hands stabbed him three more times in the heart. The third stab was the weakest, and Kara knew that she couldn’t push herself to do any more. She left the knife in his chest, and fell over onto her back. She was exhausted, and cold. Kara turned to look at where Zeus lay, his fur red and matted with clotted blood.

She could feel her wounds now. The four stab wounds in her lower abdomen were still leaking blood. The gash on her thigh and forearm were deep and burning. Her mouth tasted like blood, and the bridge of her nose throbbed. Her forehead felt like it had been hit with a damn sledge hammer. Kara tried to stand up, but her legs felt like jelly. So instead, she used her one good arm to pull herself across the living room over to Zeus.

The loyal companion who had been Kara’s best furry friend for only a few short years didn’t move when she wrapped her fingers in his fur. With the amount of blood on the floor around him, Kara wasn’t surprised if he had passed away within the first few moments of the fight. Tears welled in her eyes as she pulled Zeus close to her, hugging him one last time.

She tried to find her phone, but quickly realized that it was at the base of the stairs. She had dropped it when she went to go protect Zeus, and it had been trampled on when James pulled her down from the stairs. That was her only phone. She had no way to contact anyone.

Kara rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. Was this really how she was going to die? Alone on New Year’s Eve? Was she going to bleed out next to her dead dog, with no one to help her?

Kara thought of Lena, and how much she missed her. Tears were freely flowing down her face, disappearing into her hair. She thought of her life, and the events leading up to this. She had amazing parents, and an amazing foster family. She grew up loved, and she herself loved. Kara wished that she hadn’t been so rude to Lena. Their last real conversation had ended so bitter. She regretted it now more than ever.

Why did she have to be so angry with Lena? Why couldn’t she have just let it go, and allowed Lena to leave? It was only a few weeks. She could have survived for a few weeks. Lena even said that she didn’t want to leave with Kara angry. Yet Kara had held onto that anger and ruined everything.

The blood that was in Kara’s mouth started to trickle down her throat. It bubbled and foamed at the corner of her mouth as she tried to breath. Her stomach hurt like no one could ever imagine, and she was even colder than before. The blood that was pooling around her seemed to suck all the heat out of her.

Kara closed her eyes, tears still streaming down her face. She didn’t want to die. She wanted Lena to be right next to her. In a way she was glad Lena wasn’t here, however. Kara couldn’t even protect herself. What would have happened if James had attacked both of them? Kara would still be on the floor of her house, bleeding out and dying. Only Lena would also be dead as well.

Lena’s face swimmed behind Kara’s eyes. She wished she had told her that she loved her at the diner. She could have told her even earlier if she wasn’t so much of a coward. Was she really that afraid of losing Lena? Well now Lena wasn’t here, and Kara was dying alone. She was going to lose Lena regardless. Kara had so many regrets, and now it was too late to fix them. It was too late to take back her anger at Lena. It was too late to tell her that she was head over heels for her. It was too late to run back to Lena and tell her to stay for Christmas- to fuck her family and be with the people who really mattered.

Kara thought of Lena’s voice, and her smile. She loved her smile so much. It always gave her such joy seeing her genuinely smile. Kara remembered the first time she saw Lena’s real smile. It was as if the world had stopped. Maybe that was when Kara started to fall in love with her? Or maybe it was when she saved her from that terrible date with James… No, Kara knew she felt something for her before even then. She loved her the moment she saw her at the bonfire night. She could still vividly see the way the fire made her face glow, and her eyes were so bright that night. God, her eyes…

She could see them right now. Bright, and brilliant as they looked down at her. She could hear Lena’s voice calling out her name. She was saying it was going to be okay, and that she was there for her. Lena was looking down at her, like an angle that was coming down from heaven. Kara could feel her hands on her face, holding her tightly. “Lena,” Kara mumbled. She reached up and touched her hair. It felt real under her fingertips.

Kara smiled and closed her eyes for a moment. Lena called out her name louder, her soft hands moving against her face. Kara looked at her again, silently wondering why the vision looked so… Scared? Kara could see what looked to be tears running down Lena’s face. Why was she crying? She took the hand that was still in Lena’s hair and gently pulled the vision of Lena closer. Their foreheads touched gently.

She could hear Lena whispering, “You’re going to be okay. It’s going to be okay. Stay with me, baby… Kara, please stay with me.” Kara wanted to see if she couldn’t kiss the image in her head, but her vision was starting to blur. The last thing she saw was Lena’s concerned green eyes, still filled with tears, and the last thing she heard was her name being called out. Everything got darker and darker until Kara couldn’t see. The world was so cold, but Kara didn’t care. At least she got to see Lena one last time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry that I had to kill the dog! I just had to make the scene happen a specific way, and a dog could not fit into the fight.  
> I'll try and update ASAP, but I might take a break tomorrow (Thursday), and just start working on it Friday after a work thing I have. We shall see.
> 
> I hope everyone has a good evening/day/morning/whatever!  
> -Aries


	6. All I Have To Do Is Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena finds Kara on New Year's Eve. She saves her, and explains to Alex and the gang that Kara's been badly hurt. Kara dreams about Lena, thinking it's real life until she wakes up in the hospital. Lena is right by her side, and suggests they stay together in National City while Kara heals.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A special thanks to ahmose27 for suggesting I show Lena's POV of finding Kara. It was a brilliant idea, and I had a lot of fun writing it!  
> Also, to help with people who've got triggers to blood/gore, I've put "~" symbols before and after certain parts of the beginning scenes, just so those people know to skip over those parts.
> 
> Have a good weekend everybody!  
> -Aries

Lena sighed deeply as she stood at the baggage claim. She had flown to National City. It was still so early in the morning that the sun wasn’t even out. She was tired, smelled like the airport, and hadn’t eaten anything since she went out for lunch with Kara. She didn’t have an appetite. Ever since Kara had stormed out of the diner she had a bad taste in her mouth. She hoped that Kara could forgive her. Lena would loath her family even more if they made her lose someone this important to her once again.

She grabbed her suitcase when it eventually got around to her. There weren’t many people around, most of them half asleep just like Lena was. She rolled her bag through the airport until she was outside. There was a man standing next to a car right in front of her. Lena made eye contact with him, and he smiled wide. “Good morning, Ms. Luthor. I trust you had a good flight?” Lena only hummed in unamused agreement. She allowed him to grab her bag, opening the door for her so that she could slide into the car. Lena sighed once she was comfortably in the car, leaning her head backwards. She wanted to sleep so badly, but her mind refused to slow down.

She couldn’t stop thinking about Kara, and how their last conversation went. She looked so hurt, and upset. Lena’s goal wasn’t to hurt her, but what choice did she have? She tried to say no to Lilian, but her adoptive mother just said that if she didn’t, she’d go up to West Alpine herself, and ruin another career for her. Lena had meant to explain this to Kara, but she didn’t give her a chance to.

The driver got into the car, and started to drive. He remained silent the entire time sensing Lena’s displeasure in being there. The ride wasn’t all too bad. Lena looked at the tall building passing by through the window. She wished she could see the stars. What if Kara was looking at them right now? Lena pinched the bridge of her nose in irritation. She felt like an idiot, leaving her like that. She should have gone to Kara’s house before she left. They never said goodbye. The last thing Lena has to remember Kara is the anger in her eyes as she left the diner.

Eventually the car pulled up to one of the tallest buildings in the city. It was completely black, and the windows were tinted green, to match the massive green ‘L-CORP’ sign high above the street. The building was a bad omen to Lena. Every time she saw it, something bad happened. Last time she was here, Lex was screaming at her, throwing stacks of paper and other things from his desk at her. Two years later and she was being pushed out of her job because of something Lex paid someone to say.

Reluctantly, Lena got out of the car, thanking the driver as he held her door open. “I’ll bring your luggage to your apartment, ma’am.” Lena smiled before turning to walk into L-Corp. She had taken a moment in the airport bathroom to get ready. She wore a silver silk blouse, black pencil skirt, tall stilettos, and a long wool overcoat. A deep frown was on her face as she entered the building, glancing around. Everything felt cold and formal. There was a woman sitting at the front desk who looked up and blanched when she saw Lena. She must look really annoyed, always defaulting to a resting bitch face when she was around L-Corp.

“Ms. Luthor, good morning. Your mother is waiting for you in your office. Shall I show you up?” The woman was about to stand, but froze as Lena put a hand up. “That’s not necessary, thank you.” Her voice reverberated off the walls. It sounded stoic and cold. The sound was foreign. It’d been months since she had to put on this cold front to herself. Lena had gotten so comfortable with Kara that she’d forgotten how miserable she was around this place.

Lena took the elevator up to the second to last floor of the building, stepping out into a massive office. It wasn’t as big as the top floor office, which was Lex’s, but it was still unnecessarily big. Lena stepped out of the elevator, scanning the room. Lilian sat on a couch along one of the walls. She was tall, although Lena couldn’t help but think about how Kara was taller than both of them, and had obvious plastic surgery all over her body. She smiled wide when she saw Lena, quickly getting up. “Leeenaaa!” Her voice was high, and made Lena want to wince.

“It’s been so long! Why haven’t you called yet? I’ve missed you so much!” Lilian hugged Lena tightly, letting to half a second later. “I’ve been busy,” Lena answered simply. She was still angry about what Lex had done to her. Although in a way it did turn out for the best. Because of her exile from California, Lena was able to move to West Alpine and meet Kara.

Lilian obviously wasn’t listening to what Lena had said, she turned to gesture to the office. “I made sure it was exactly as you left it. There’s a schedule on the desk for you to look at with all the meetings you need to be in for the week. Your assistant is some young woman who I don’t remember the name of…” Lilian continued to ramble on, but Lena zoned her out. She was looking at her desk, skimming through the schedule for the next week. It was absolutely full of meetings and other things Lena had to attend.

When Lena looked at her availability on Christmas she frowned. There was maybe a total of three minutes between each meeting and phone conference she had to go to that day. There was absolutely no way she could call Kara like she had mentioned. The anger Lena had been repressing for the past 24 hours started to boil up. This stupid company already made Lena a liar once, but now a second time?! Lena wanted to swipe everything off her desk and start screaming.

“Lena?” Lilian’s voice broke Lena out of her thoughts. She looked up at her mother, having to remind herself to keep her anger in check. Lilian could ruin her life more than Lex ever has. Lena took in a deep breath. “I’m sorry?” Her face was blank, just as she had practiced for years around her family, simply raising her eyebrow. Ever since she was young Lena learned to shut off her emotions around the Luthor family. All of them were sick narcissists, and loved to use Lena’s emotions against her.

“I was asking if you’d like to go out for lunch or dinner? My treat. We can get a chance to properly catch up.” Lilian was putting on that famous fake smile that Lena was all too familiar with. Lena looked down at her schedule, seeing there were purposeful free time around lunch and dinner time. “I’m probably going to just go to my apartment and do some unpacking. It’s probably very dusty in there.” Lilian frowned at the answer. It was obviously not what she wanted to hear. “You know it wouldn’t be so dusty if you just moved back in there.” 

A palpable tension filled the air as the two woman stared at one another. “And have to commute all the way to West Alpine? No thank you, mother.” Although the words were sarcastic, Lena’s tone was bitter and cold. Lilian’s face grew red for a moment, obvious anger in her eyes. However, she seemed to visibly bite her tongue, shoulders forcibly relaxing. “It’s just a joke, darling. I know you’re happy where you are now. I just think the company would deeply benefit from your help.” Lena didn’t make a comment. She just stared at Lilian for a moment before looking down at her schedule.

“I should get familiarized with everything before this morning meeting starts.” It was a gentle way to kick Lilian out. There was a pause where Lena almost thought Lilian was going to stick around, but instead she smiled and nodded. “Of course. Call me if you need anything. I’ll be going to Sacramento with your brother tomorrow morning, so it will take me a few hours to get here if you need me in person.” Lena knew she didn’t need Lilian for anything. She’d run this company by herself before, while Lex played around in his basement lab for two years. She knew what she was doing.

Once Lilian was gone Lena got straight to work. She knew that work was the only thing that was going to make this ‘vacation’ go by quickly. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem like that for the first few days. The company was worse than Lena originally thought. People were slacking off on paperwork, employees weren’t doing their job properly, and Lex had been letting his business partners under mind him for months. It took a lot of time and effort to put most things back into place. Within the first twenty-four hours Lena had to fire three employees, and had been screamed at five grown men before she was able to put them into their place.

Lena tried to find time to text Kara, but it was very difficult. Kara actually texted her a few times, although it was brief and Lena knew she was still mad. It made her time working in L-Corp even worse. Lena buried herself in her work, trying to prevent the emotions from spilling over. However, on Christmas day when she had to text Kara and tell her she wasn’t able to call her, it broke her heart. Kara didn’t respond after that, and Lena could tell her broken promise made Kara even more angry. Lena cried that day, alone in her office. She buried her face in her arms, laying her head down on her desk and just sobbed for twenty minutes straight.

Once Lena was done crying, she decided in that moment that she was going to spend New Year’s with Kara no matter what. The day after Christmas she spent the entire morning rearranging and canceling her meetings so that she had time to travel up to West Alpine. Lena was only able to make time for her to travel New Year’s Eve morning, to get to West Alpine in the evening. The flight was only about two hours, but getting through security would take up most of the day, considering it was New Year’s Eve, and everyone was traveling.

The day before Lena was to leave for West Alpine, Kara texted her asking if she could call her when the ball dropped. Lena didn’t know how to reply. She didn’t want to give away her intentions; Lena wanted to kiss Kara at the stroke of midnight. She wanted to tell Kara how sorry she was that she had to leave on their Christmas, and that she’d loved her. Lena fell for her the moment she saw Kara at that bonfire night. Kara didn’t know it, but Lena had seen her long before Kara saved her from Eric Matthews. She thought Kara was the most beautiful woman in the world, and wanted to go talk to her, but had been cornered by Eric. Lena didn’t know for sure if Kara had felt the same way, but ever since Veterans day Lena noticed that something had changed between them. If Kara wasn’t going to make the first move, then Lena was.

Once New Year’s Eve morning rolled around, Lena quickly packed a bag and rushed through the few meetings she couldn’t cancel that day. She practically ran through the airport, going through security as fast as possible and boarding her plane. Lena was nervous. She didn’t know what she was going to say to Kara when she got there. About halfway through the flight Lena started to overthink her decision. What if Kara didn’t feel the same way like she thought? Maybe she should just act like it’s a normal party, and not kiss her- no, that was stupid. Lena had been wanting to do this for months now, and she couldn’t chicken out now.

The flight was bumpy, and Lena couldn’t wait to land. She was nervously tapping her leg the entire time, up until they finally let everyone off the plane. The airport was about an hour and a half away from West Alpine, so Lena took her car- which she had paid to be stored next to the airport –and tried her best not to speed too much as she drove through the winding mountains. It was dark by the time Lena got to West Alpine. She smiled seeing the “ _Welcome to West Alpine_ ” sign, knowing she was only a few minutes away from Kara.

Lena was gripping the steering wheel tightly as she pulled up to Kara’s cabin. She frowned, however, when she noticed that someone’s car was already in the driveway. Did Kara have company? Had she planned a party because Lena didn’t text her back about calling each other at midnight? Lena almost turned back, but suddenly realized whose car it was. Why was James there? There was no way Kara invited him over.

There was a deep sinking feeling in Lena’s stomach as she got out of her car, staring at the house. She walked up to the door and knocked, pausing when she didn’t hear Zeus barking. Lena glanced back to make sure that Kara’s car was still there. It was too dark for them to be out on a walk, so where were they? Lena knocked again, but there was still no answer. After a minute Lena decided to let herself in.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As soon as Lena opened her door, there was an overwhelming scent of blood. “Kara?” Lena carefully stepped into the home. Everything was absolutely silent, and most of the lights were off. It felt like Lena was in a horror move. She slowly moved through the hallway, peaking around every open doorway she could. The further back in the house she got, the stronger the scent of blood got. What was going on? Why was no one answering?

Lena carefully walked into the doorway of the living room and froze. James was the first thing she saw, laying completely still at the base of the stairs. There was a massive knife sticking out of his chest, and there was blood everywhere. Lena noticed that there wasn’t just blood around James, but a long smear that lead further into the living room. That’s when Lena saw her.

Kara was on her side, motionless, holding the unmoving body of Zeus. She was absolutely covered in blood, and visibly pale even from where Lena was standing. Lena was afraid to step forward. She didn’t realize she was holding her breath, staring wide eyed at Kara’s body. She thought she was dead until Kara suddenly took in a rattling breath. Lena visibly cried out, jumping over James as she ran to collapse next to Kara.

She was barely conscious, her eyes only open in small slits. Lena turned her over onto her back, tears streaming down her face as she looked Kara up and down. She was almost completely covered in blood from so many stab wounds and gashes. Her front lip was split wide open, and the bridge of her nose had an odd welt on it. Kara’s eyes were lazily dragging across the ceiling, completely unfocused.

“K-Kara?” Lena said through her sobbing. Instantly, Kara’s bright blue eyes landed on Lena’s face. They opened a little wider, and Lena smiled a little. She was able to hear her, that was good. Maybe she could talk? “Kara, can you hear me?” The blood that Lena was kneeling in was uncomfortably warm, and the gurgling noise that Kara made in the back of her throat. Blood bubbled in the corner of Kara’s mouth, so Lena gently wiped it away. Kara’s face twitched at the contact, as if she was trying to smile.

Lena gently grabbed Kara’s face. She seemed to respond positively to the touch, her head turning a little more to fully look at Lena. “Kara, please,” Lena cried. There was another sort of gurgling sound that Kara made before an actual word came out. “Lena…” Lena gasped and sobbed harder. She was talking! That was a good sign.

Kara slowly reached up with a blood covered hand, her fingertips lightly brushing through Lena’s hair. She was moving! That was great! Kara gently pulled Lena forward, Lena bending down to help her. Kara lifted her head ever so slightly, pressing her forehead against Lena’s. Lena smiled for a moment, but started to feel Kara’s fingers in her hair started to slip backwards, her hand pulling away before falling to the ground. Kara didn’t seem to notice, still pressing her forehead against Lena’s.

“You’re going to be okay. It’s going to be okay. Stay with me, baby… Kara, please stay with me.” Lena didn’t know what to do. She pulled back a little to look at Kara, but saw that she was starting to fade. Her eyelids were fluttering closed. “Kara! Kara you have to stay awake! Please, Kara, don’t leave!” Tears dripped onto Kara’s face as Lena shook her gently. However, Kara was already passed out. For two horrifying seconds Lena thought she might have actually given up, but then she took in another rattling breath. For a few moments Lena didn’t know what to do.

All at once Lena sprang into action. She ripped her phone out of her pocket, and called 911. They took a second to answer, Lena softly cussing under her breath until she heard, “911, where’s your emergency?” Lena struggled to remember the name of the woman working dispatch. She knew Kara had told her once, but Lena didn’t think much of it. Suddenly the name popped into her head. “Susan! Susan it’s Lena- listen, there’s a huge emergency. Kara, she’s hurt really badly!”

There was a shocked pause before Lena could hear Susan calling everyone on the police scanners. She frantically told them all that Kara was in trouble, and needed medical assistance. “What happened?” Susan said to Lena after yelling on the radio. Lena shakily explained her wounds, and that James was also dead on the floor. “It looks like he attacked her! There’s a broken window, and Zeus is dead next to Kara.” Susan spoke on the radio again. “They’ll be there in five minutes. Is Kara still breathing?” Lena confirmed that she was, watching her chest struggling up and down.

The next few minutes were nerve racking. Lena was still crying, holding Kara in her lap as she sat in a pool of her best friend’s blood. By now her sense of smell was gone, and she could no longer smell the metallic tang in the air. There was a voice who called through the house, and Lena screamed back, “In here! We’re in the back!” A group of officers and EMT’s rushed into the room. Lena scrambled up, hanging up with Susan.

The large group of first responders gathered around Kara. They packed her wounds and put her on the stretcher. An officer tried to question Lena, but she was too focused on Kara. None of their friends seemed to be on duty, so it was just a room of complete strangers. “I’m going with her,” Lena demanded to none of the paramedics. They didn’t dispute her, allowing her to blow off the police and follow Kara into the ambulance.

There were two men working on Kara in the back, where Lena sat, and another driving as fast as she possibly could down the winding road. “We’re taking her to a hospital out of town,” one of the paramedics spoke aloud as he attached an IV connected to a bag of blood to Kara’s arm. Lena watched the people scramble around the enclosed space, trying to not cry anymore. She was terrified that the hospital was going to be too far away, or that Kara’s heart was suddenly going to give out.

It took longer than Lena would have liked for them to get to the trauma hospital outside of town. Lena watched Kara carefully the entire time. There was a point where the EMT’s could only do so much for Kara before they all just had to sit there and monitor her. Lena carefully reached out and grabbed her hand, gently squeezing it. She felt Kara’s fingers twitch against her hand, making her fully smile for the first time since all of this happened.

They roughly stopped at the ER drop off, a large team of nurses and doctors already opening the ambulance before it even was in park. Kara was rushed out of the vehicle, Lena running right behind her, although she made sure to stay out of everyone’s way. There was a jumble of medical jargon that was thrown around as everyone assessed Kara, taking her into the hospital. Lena followed them for as long as she could before a nurse grabbed her and pulled her to the side. “I’m sorry, but you can’t go any further. She’s going into surgery.”

Lena looked off at the closing hallway doors, watching Kara for as long as she could before turning back to the nurse. “Is she going to be okay?” The nurse didn’t look like he knew how to answer that question for a moment. “I can’t make promises, but we will do everything in our power to fix her. You found her just in time. Any longer and she might have just given up.” A fresh wave of tears started to burn Lena’s eyes, but she took a deep breath to hold them back. “Is there anywhere I can wait?” The nurse showed her to a small empty waiting room before leaving her alone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lena cried for a long time before being able to stop and fully think about what to do next. She was in a hospital, covered her best friends blood, and she had no idea if that best friend was going to make it to surgery. The first thing that Lena could figure out was to call Alex. Her stomach churned at the idea of doing that. What would Alex say? Would she start crying? Would she scream at Lena? Maybe she could be calm and just ask what hospital they were at? Regardless of how Alex was going to react, Lena had to call her.

Anxiously biting her lip, Lena dialed Alex’s number. Thank god Kara had given it to her only a few weeks before. The phone rung all the way to voice mail the first time. Lena didn’t want Alex to find out in a voice mail, so she called again. The second time she almost thought it was going to ring all the way through, but at the last moment someone answered. “Hey, Lena! What’s up, how’s National City? Has Kara talked to you? I tried calling her to invite her over for a party, but her phone went straight to voice mail. I thought she might be talking to you.” It was a lot to take in all at once.

Lena had been able to hold herself together for a few seconds before the tears came pouring down her face for the third time that night. She sobbed, trying to speak. Only a few words came out. “Kara… Blood… Oh my god…” She sniffed and put a dirty hand over her mouth. “What? Lena what about Kara? Is everything okay?” Alex’s voice was full of concern. Lena took in a deep breath, trying to calm herself. “Kara was attacked. She’s really hurt, but she’s in the OR right now. We’re at some hospital outside of town.”

The line went silent for a moment, and for a second Lena thought that Alex hadn’t heard what she said. However, she could hear Alex draw in a shuttering breath. “Please tell me where you are,” was all Alex could say in a strained voice. Lena was about to say, when she realized she didn’t know the address. She asked Alex to hold on for one moment before looking around for something to tell her where they were. She found it on a little map pamphlet, reading the address to Alex. “We’ll be there as soon as possible.” With that she hung up.

Lena went back to the waiting room. Her clothing was still dirty, and she felt exhausted. It had been a long day of traveling, only to come home to that. She wanted to close her eyes and fall asleep, but the stress of the situation made that impossible. Each time a nurse or doctor passed by, she stared at them anxiously.

About an hour later Lena saw Alex, Maggie, and Winn all speed walking down the hallway. She called out to them, waving her hand before realizing that it was still dirty from when she was holding Kara. The trio hurried over to Lena, who stood awkwardly. She didn’t know what to say, and for a moment thought Alex was going to start drilling her for questions. However, as soon as Alex got there, she bear hugged Lena.

“You saved my sister. I’m in your debt forever. Thank you so much, Lena.” Alex tightened her arms, Lena hugging her back. They pulled away, and the group sat down. Everyone was silent for a while before Maggie spoke up. “So do you know what happened?” The question she had been dreading. Lena swallowed hard before explaining what she saw. It wasn’t hard to figure out the general idea of what happened, but Lena didn’t want to think about the details.

Once she was done explaining, Alex was pale and Winn was silently crying. Lena sat silently, watching Maggie softly rubbing Alex’s back as Alex leaned forward onto her elbows. The group was silent for a long time. It was just as nerve racking to wait for a doctor with a group compared to sitting alone. Lena wanted to change, and wash herself off, but she refused to move from her seat until she knew Kara was going to be okay.

It took about six hours since Lena had arrived before a doctor came out to the group. He confirmed who they were before giving them a run-down of Kara’s wounds. Nothing was broken, but she had multiple puncture wounds and lacerations to put it nicely. “We’ve still got some work to do on her, but she’s lost a lot of blood. She needs a blood transfusion. It’d be fastest if one of you could donate. Do you guys know your blood types?” Most of the group looked clueless as to what they could be. Lena, however, knew exactly what she was.

“I’m O-Negative,” She stated. The doctor’s eyes lit up. “If you’d sign a few forms, we could do the blood transfusion within the hour.” Lena quickly nodded and got up. She glanced back to her group before following the doctor to a small conference room. He printed out and gave Lena the papers to sign. She didn’t even read them, just signed her name and asked where they were going next.

Within a few minutes Lena was cleaned up- the hospital gave Lena a pair of scrubs to change into so that she wasn’t in her ruined clothing –and was sitting in a large lounging chair giving blood. They hooked up a bunch of tubes and other medical items to Lena before they started to take her blood. The whole process took a little over an hour, due to the set up and making sure everything was clean. Lena donated a unit of blood, which the doctors said would help increase Kara’s odds greatly.

Lena went back and sat with the group, eating some snacks the doctors gave her as she groggily slumped in her seat. She didn’t care what the others thought, too exhausted. About two hours into waiting, Lena ended up falling asleep. It wasn’t deep sleep, and she didn’t dream, but it was better than nothing.

Alex shook Lena awake at about two in the morning. The doctor was just entering the room, looking just as tired at the group. “Is everything okay?” Alex asked anxiously. The doctor nodded, and the unknown tension that had been building up in the room quickly went away. “She made it through. We’re cleaning her up now, but she’ll be out and admitted to a room in about an hour. You guys can see her then, although she’ll probably still be asleep.”

Lena put her head in her hands and Alex hugged Maggie tightly. Winn started to cry again, thanking the doctor through his tears. The last hour went by quickly. A nurse went to get them, leading them into the ICU, where Kara was lying in a private room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kara was covered in bandages, and she had a mask over her face giving her oxygen. She wasn’t as pale as Lena had seen her at the house, but she still looked sickly. Her breathing was shallow, and she defiantly went through hell. Her nose was one big bruise, and her lip had stitches in it. Lena couldn’t see the bandages on her abdomen, but she was sure they looked terrible. Kara’s arm was also wrapped up, a large gash having been stitched up across her entire forearm.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lena stared down at Kara for a long moment, standing at the side of her bed. She wanted to cry, but was so exhausted that no tears came out. Lena bent down and gently kissed Kara’s temple, running a hand over her golden hair. She glanced over to the group, making eye contact with Alex. She nodded to Lena, who understood and nodded back. She knew how Lena felt for her sister, and approved of it.

The group sat in the small room, all staring at the broken and disheveled Kara for a very long time. Eventually, Winn asked Lena if she wanted to go home. Lena said she was fine where she was. She wanted to watch over Kara until she woke up. Winn looked to Alex and Maggie. “I have work in the morning… I know you two do as well, but I can explain the situation to Henshaw.” Maggie shook her head. “If all of us didn’t show up, there’d be no one to do patrols. We can run the office with just us. Kara and Alex can stay here.” Alex looked up gratefully to Maggie. While it would have been ideal for Alex to have Maggie with her, they couldn’t just leave the police station unattended.

With Maggie and Winn gone, the room seemed much bigger. Alex was able to lay down on the couch, covering her eyes with her arm to get some rest. Lena sat on the chair next to Kara’s bed, holding her bruised hand. She could feel Kara’s fingers flexing against her, and it made Lena smile. She gave a small sigh as she relaxed her head against the side of Kara’s bed, closing her eyes. Lena fell asleep holding Kara’s hand, thanking anyone who was listening for saving the woman she loved.

**********

Kara woke up to the feeling of a pillow pressed into the side of her face. She was laying on her stomach, head tilted to the side, legs spread across the large bed. The fluffy duvet was on the lower half of her body, her arms hugging the pillow she was laying on. She didn’t open her eyes straight away. Instead she took in a deep breath. There was a thick smell of bacon in the air, but behind that was the scent of roses and berries. It was coming from the pillow, so Kara snuggled her face deeper into the fluff. She took another deep breath, the scent now much stronger. Kara couldn’t help but smile, a content feeling washing over her.

She could hear someone moving around in the kitchen, but when Kara finally opened her eyes she didn’t recognize where she was. She was in a bedroom, the walls white with a large window. It was decorated with a mixture of fancy interior decorations, and Kara’s knick-knacks she had around her cabin. It took Kara a moment, but she finally realized that she was in her and Lena’s apartment.

Kara didn’t really get up. She had lifted her head to look around, but quickly dropped it down to snuggle back into the pillow. For some reason the remembrance of her and Lena being together made her a little happier than usual.

After a few minutes, Kara heard someone walking into their bedroom. She assumed it was Lena who was setting something down on her bedside table, but she didn’t look up. Lena’s hand gently rubbed Kara’s back, and Kara could feel Lena’s lips brushing her ear as she softly whispered, “I know you’re up.” Kara couldn’t help but giggle as she opened her eyes, turning onto her back to face Lena, who was sitting on the edge of the bed.

“I made you breakfast before work,” Lena said as she gestured to the tray of amazing smelling food. Work… Where did she work again? That’s right; Kara was a detective! Her and Lena had moved to Vermont together about two years ago. She had gotten a job at the investigation unit over there, and Lena was working in a lab doing some sort of research on something that Kara couldn’t remember for some reason. She’d spent so many night talking about her work, yet Kara couldn’t pinpoint exactly what she had told her. It felt like a blur. In fact, the past two years have been a complete blur. Kara was trying to remember what their life was like, but it was all fuzzy. She couldn’t focus.

It didn’t really matter to Kara. She sat up, wrapping her arms around Lena and pulling her close. “You’re amazing; you know that?” Lena giggled, allowing Kara to cuddle up to her. It felt amazing to hold Lena in her arms. It felt like the first time they’ve ever had a moment like this. Kara huffed as she really tried to remember why this all felt so brand new.

Lena gently grabbed her face, making Kara look up at her. “What’s wrong, babe?” She tilted her head cutely to the side. “Today just feels really… weird? I had this terrifying dream… I can’t shake it from my mind.” Lena raised an eyebrow. “What’s up? What did you dream?” Kara frowned, not wanting to talk about the brutal nightmare. “I just… I thought I lost you, is all.”

Lena frowned, looking down at Kara. She gently brought their foreheads together, making Kara smile. “I’m right here, my love.” Lena bent forward and pressed her lips to her partners. Kara didn’t know why she was so surprised by the kiss, but she quickly became accustomed to it. Lena’s lips were soft, and moved gently against Kara’s. Lena’s hands were on the side of Kara’s face, moving up into her messy bed tousled hair. Kara smiled into the kiss, her arms wrapping tighter around Lena.

They held the kiss for a long moment, and when Kara pulled away Lena looked playfully dissatisfied. She adjusted the way she sat on Kara’s lap, gently pushing her down onto the bed. Kara smiled wide, watching Lena flirtatiously hover over her. Her lose raven hair cascaded down, and as Lena leaned in close it surrounded Kara’s face.

With the way the sunlight was shining into the room, it fractured through Lena’s hair beautifully, making her face glow. Kara stared up at her girlfriend with so much love in her eyes it made Lena giggle. “I love you,” Kara whispered, as if was the first time she had ever said that before. Lena smiled wide, bending down to kiss Kara again.

It was slow, and it was sweet. Kara felt happy and satisfied, as if this is what she had been waiting her entire life. Kara held onto Lena for dear life, hugging her close. Her weight on top of Kara was comforting, her lips gentle and her hands sweet.

They kissed for a long time, and honestly Kara didn’t think they were every going to pull away. There was a distant noise that Kara was barely registering. She didn’t care, too enamored by Lena. She was finally happy, away from West Alpine, away from all the drama and rumors. She was carefree, with the woman she loved more than anything.

Lena pulled away slightly, and started to kiss all over Kara’s face. “Come back to me, baby.” Lena whispered it so quietly that Kara almost didn’t hear it. The distant noise got louder, and Kara could make it out as rhythmic beeping. Her eyebrows furrowed for a second, but was too distracted by Lena’s lips all over her face. She giggled, tangling her fingers into Lena’s shirt.

“Come back, Kara,” Lena said a little louder. “What?” Kara asked softly, trying to gently push Lena up. The beeping was now loud enough that Kara was starting to get confused. Lena didn’t allow Kara to push her away. She softly kissed Kara’s lips again, saying against them, “You’re safe, I’m here… Come home, love.” The beeping was now recognizable as a heart monitor. Kara tried to ask Lena what she meant, but Lena moved so close that Kara had to squeeze her eyes shut.

**********

When Kara opened her eyes again, the lights around her were bright. There was still a pressure on her stomach, but it was no longer pleasant. Kara’s entire body had a dull pain throbbing all throughout it. Her mouth was bone dry, and her lip burned when she tried to speak. Nothing around the room made sense. Kara had no idea where she was, and when she tried to look around it only made her head hurt more.

Someone was gently holding her hand, and when she flexed her fingers they flexed back. Moving only her eyes, Kara looked down as far as she could. She recognized Lena holding her hand. She was laying her head down on the bed that Kara was laying in. She gently squeezed Lena’s hand to try and wake her up. Her throat was too dry to speak, and Kara recognized that there was an oxygen mask over her mouth.

Lena started to stir, feeling Kara move against her. She hummed gently, starting to move. Lena lifted her head, the side of her face slightly red from the roughness of the sheets she was laying on. She looked exhausted, and was wearing medical scrubs for some reason. When Lena looked up and saw that Kara was looking down at her, her eyes got wide. She cussed and jumped up, thoughtlessly grabbing Kara’s face.

Kara winced, and Lena jumped back like her hands had just been burnt. “Oh, crap, I’m so sorry!... But you’re up! That’s amazing, you’re actually up!” Lena looked over joyed, her bright green eyes lighting up. “How do you feel?” Lena’s hand dropped back down’ to Kara’s, gently taking it. Everything was sore, and Kara just wanted to go back to sleep. However, she was very happy to see Lena. The remnants of her dream still clung to her brain, and for a few moments she thought she was still in that reality.

“W…Water?” Kara could only whisper the word. “I’ll go find you some ice chips. Give me one moment.” Lena hurried out of the room, leaving Kara alone. She glanced around the small room. There were a bunch of machines around her, and she could still hear the beeping of the heart monitor. She thought back to the dream she was having and sighed, closing her eyes. She wanted to go back there for a little while longer.

When she opened her eyes, Lena was already back, and gently pulling the oxygen mask off of her face. There was also a nurse and doctor. “Good to see you awake, Kara. How are you feeling?” Her throat was still too dry to really talk, so she just whispered, “Painful.” The doctor gently smiled, as if to comfort Kara before nodding to the nurse next to him. She started to mess around with the machines while Lena gently brought an ice chip to Kara’s lips.

Kara slowly opened her mouth, and hummed softly feeling the cool cube against her tongue. She let it melt in her mouth completely before trying to swallow a little bit. Lena offered another piece of ice, which Kara gratefully accepted. The pain was already starting to get slowly better, and Kara was feeling a little groggier. “You’re a very lucky woman, Ms. Danvers. Your friend here saved your life- twice, actually. She found you, and she gave you some of her blood to help you recover.” So the image of Lena above her wasn’t an image at all?

Kara looked at Lena, who gently smiled at her. She gave her another ice chip, sitting down. She looked as exhausted as Kara felt. Kara frowned a little bit. She didn’t want Lena to push herself too hard simply to help her. Where was Alex and the others? Did they leave Lena all alone? Kara looked back at her doctor.

“As we were explaining to Ms. Luthor, we’re planning on keeping you here for about three days. Your wounds were deep, but we were able to stitch them up without many complications. Nothing too major was harmed, although part of your liver is gone, as well as your appendix.” Kara just hummed, her eyes starting to lull a little bit. This doctor was all business, apparently. He didn’t waste one second before giving any sort of information. “Thankfully your friend offered to take care of you in the weeks to come. It’ll take about ten days for your skin to fully heal, but the muscle in your abdomen and leg will take a while to properly mend back together.”

Kara looked confusedly over to Lena. She was going to take care of Kara? What about that whole L-Corp thing? Kara figured that was another question for another time. She looked back to the doctor, waiting for him to tell her something else that was too important to wait, apparently… Kara wasn’t in a very good mood. Her stomach and face hurt too much.

“Do you have any questions?” Even if she did, she couldn’t exactly ask them. Kara simply shook her head, watching the doctor smile. “Perfect. A nurse will be by shortly to check on you. I’ll see you soon, Kara.” He nodded to Lena before walking out, the nurse following him. Kara looked from Lena, back to the ice chips. “Want some more?” Lena asked gently. Kara nodded, and tried to give her a small smile, but her lip was too painful.

Lena kept feeding her ice chips till her throat didn’t feel like sand paper. She still had to whisper, however, the movement of talking uncomfortable. “How long was I out?” Lena set the almost empty cup of ice down. Her green eyes studied Kara’s disheveled face for a long moment. “About a day and a half. It’s the second of January.” Kara frowned, glancing around the room. “Have you been here the entire time?” Lena nodded, glancing down at her scrubs. “Yeah. They let me use the shower and borrow some cloths.”

“Where’s Alex? Does she know?” Kara was grateful that Lena was there, it made her happy that she was the first thing she woke up to, but she didn’t understand why Lena was doing this all alone. “She does. I called her right after we got you to the hospital. She visited last night after her shift, but she says work doesn’t have enough people to cover her shifts for her. Maggie and Winn also came to visit with her.” So they were busy with work… Work… Lena was at work when this all happened. Why was she here? How did she find her?

“You were there… I saw you,” Kara whispered, remembering seeing her crying down at her. Lena looked down at her feet, frowning a little. “I wanted to surprise you, and show up for New Year’s Eve… I swear, I wasn’t ignoring your texts. I was just so busy, and I didn’t want to risk you finding out about my plans. Kara, I’m so sorry. I know I shouldn’t have left like that, and I understand if you’re still angry at me, but…” Lena trailed off when she saw Kara slowly reaching out for her hand.

“I’m not mad… I’m happy you’re here. You look exhausted, though. Maybe you should go home? You need some actual rest.” Lena stared at Kara for a moment before suddenly laughing. “You- the one who’s in the hospital –are seriously worried about me?” Lena gently brought Kara’s hand up, kissing the part of it that wasn’t bruised. Kara’s eyes went wide, and she felt her cheeks get warm in a blush. “You’re sweet, Kara, but I’ll be okay.”

The two of them went silent. Kara sighed and relaxed into her bed a little bit more. She couldn’t really feel the pain anymore, but she still felt stiff and vaguely uncomfortable. “I’m glad you came… You saved my life. I can never thank you enough.” Lena gave Kara a sweet smile, still resting the back of Kara’s hand against her cheek. “You don’t need to thank me.”

But Kara did, that was the thing. Lena wasn’t supposed to be there, yet she was. Kara would be dead without her, and she was eternally grateful for that. She would be thanking Lena for the rest of her life, because that’s what Lena gave her- the rest of her life. Kara hoped that Lena would be with her for that long. She wanted so badly to tell her about the amazing dream she had, but Kara was just too tired to fully recall it, and she didn’t want Lena to leave her if she felt uncomfortable.

So instead, Kara started to ask Lena about her time at L-Corp. Lena talked about it for a little while, saying how busy it was, and that she wished every day to be back in West Alpine. That was saying a lot, considering Kara thought West Alpine was the closest thing to purgatory. “What have they been doing without you? Don’t you have a bunch of meetings and stuff?”

“I’ve delegated all my work to a few others I trust, but for the most part I’ve just been doing meetings from my phone. It’s not the best solution, but it’s better than nothing. I’m just glad I’m here with you, and not having to deal with all of this bullshit in person.” Lena smiled to Kara, rubbing her thumb along Kara’s knuckles so lightly that the only way Kara knew she was doing it was because she could see it. “Will you have to go back soon?” Kara didn’t really want to know the answer. She didn’t want Lena to leave again.

Lena frowned a little, nodding. “I do… However, I’m working on accommodations to bring a plus one.” Kara furrowed her sore eyebrows. “What do you mean?” She asked. “My mother agreed that, once you’re released from the hospital, I can bring you to National City. I’ll have to start the three weeks at L-Corp all over again, but you’ll be there.” Three weeks with Lena, in a big city that didn’t know Kara’s name? That sounded like heaven, even if they did have to deal with Lena’s toxic family.

A thought came to Kara’s head that made her smile start to fade away, however. “What about work? Alex might not agree.” Lena smirked, apparently expecting Kara to worry about that. “I already talked to Alex about it. She agrees that it’ll be good for you to get out of West Alpine for a little bit… To forget what happened for a while.” Kara tried not to think about what Lena was referencing. “As for work, they said you’re not allowed back until all your wounds are completely healed. You heard the doctor; that’ll take at least five weeks.”

Kara started to try and think of some other excuse, but quickly stopped when she questioned why she was really trying to prevent this. Three weeks with Lena sounded amazing. “I’m more than happy to join you, then. Hopefully it’ll lessen your stress levels.” Lena smiled that brilliant, genuine smile that Kara loved so much. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you can't tell, I didn't proof read this chapter, because not only did I take a Melatonin halfway through writing the last scene, but my computer had a heart attack right when I was considering if I should actually read it, or post today like I said I would. The computer gods have spoken, enjoy the typos.
> 
> Good night, lmao,  
> -Aries


	7. Falling in the Deep End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara and Lena go to National City together. Kara accidentally lets Lena know something she's been keeping secret for a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone enjoys this second to last chapter! Some big things happen that completely redefine Kara and Lena's relationship.
> 
> Be safe, everyone :)  
> -Aries
> 
> (EDIT) I'll be updating with a bonus chapter in the next few weeks, hopefully! Thank you for your patience <3

Kara didn’t go with Lena to pack her things. She wrote down a list of items, and where they should be in the home, but when Lena left to go get them, Kara stayed with Alex in her apartment. The house was no longer the warm, comfortable cabin it used to be. For the past five days Kara dreamt about that house, and what happened inside of it. The one night Lena left for a few hours to go home and change into actual cloths was the worst night. Kara woke up screaming and flailing.

So, Lena went instead of Kara. She was gone for about two hours while Kara talked with Alex. She was telling Kara about how everyone banded together to fill Kara’s place while she was gone for the next four weeks. Kara felt grateful for her friends, and thanked Alex profusely. There was a question that was burning at the back of her mind, however. “What uhm… What happened to James?”

Alex frowned at Kara, visibly contemplating if she should tell her what happened. Kara didn’t know if he was dead or not. She fought back quite a bit, and most people wouldn’t survive that, but then again most people wouldn’t survive what she went through either. “He’s with his aunt and sister… They said they were going to bury him with his father.” So James didn’t survive.

Kara didn’t know how to feel. She frowned down at her hands in her lap. The bruises on her knuckles were almost gone, but the long gash on her forearm was still very obviously there. James had been Kara’s best friend once. She loved him like a brother, and had many years’ worth of happy memories with him. However, he was terrible in the end, and completely ruined the friendship with his ego.

“Did they ever figure out what he was on? Did they test him?” Kara’s fingers fiddled with the lose pants she was wearing. Her thigh and lower abdomen were still sore, so she didn’t wear tight clothing. “Kara, I don’t think- “Alex started, but stopped when Kara quickly looked up. “Please, Alex. I have to know. Just this one thing, can you tell me that? I won’t as any more questions; I just want to know what he was on when he tried to kill me… Why was he so strong?” Alex looked upset, studying her sisters face for a moment.

She stood from where she was sitting, going over to kneel down in front of Kara. “Kara… He had a knife, and he’s twice your size. You’re not weak for getting hurt. You’re human, not Supergirl!” Kara didn’t buy it. She’s taken town men twice her size before. James made her feel powerless; threw her around like a rag doll. She had to know that it wasn’t her that was weak, it was that he had something aiding him. “Please, Alex… Was he on drugs?” It came out as almost a whisper, tears starting to drip down her cheeks. Alex’s eyebrows furrowed, but she nodded. “He was mostly on oxy and morphine, but his blood alcohol level was through the roof.” That explained why he was able to get up to fast when Kara kicked him directly in the genitals. 

Kara took a deep breath in, closing her eyes. She wasn’t weak, he was just on powerful drugs. “How did he get the morphine?” Kara asked curiously after she let her breath out. Alex didn’t look amused that she had more questions, considering she just said she only had one question. However, she knew her sister would pester her until the question was answered. “He blackmailed one of the town doctors into getting it for him. Something about the doctor being and alcoholic, and prescribing the wrong drug one time. I swear, Kara, that’s all I know.”

Lena came through the door a few minutes later. She had changed into an attractively tight dress, pausing when she noticed Kara’s still red eyes. “Is everything okay?” Her eyebrows furrowed, glancing between Alex and Kara. “Yeah. Just learned some things that explain a lot about the current situation.” Lena frowned, looking to Alex before going to Kara. She sat next to her, gently wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Are you okay?” Kara subconsciously leaned into Lena, nodding. “Yeah, I’m fine now. All my questions are answered.”

“Good, because this trip is to help you heal, not think about the past. We should probably get going, the airport is a bit of a drive.” Kara smiled at the thought of healing with Lena. She was excited about the trip, interested in seeing what the big city would be like. “Of course. Thank you for packing for me. It was a big help.” Lena sweetly smiled at Kara as she stood, helping Kara up off the couch. “I’m happy to help. Your list made it very easy to find everything.”

Alex also stood, walking Kara and Lena down to the street, where Lena’s sporty black car was waiting. Alex hugged her sister, making sure not to squeeze her too tightly. “Have fun, and text me when you can. Send lots of pictures!” Kara hugged her sister back, nodding against her shoulder. “I will, don’t worry. I love you, and I’ll see you in three weeks.”

The drive to the airport was beautiful. The mountains had a frost over them, and the forest looked to be completely white. Kara sat with a pillow between her abdomen and the seatbelt, hugging it comfortably to herself. She chatted easily with Lena, buzzing with excitement about the next few weeks.

When they got to the airport, Kara was surprised when Lena lead her all the way up into first class. “Wait, really?” Kara asked, watching Lena sit down at almost the very front of the plane. There were no seats in front of them, and plenty of leg room. Kara suddenly felt very underdressed, realizing that Lena had changed specifically for this reason. However, Lena gently grabbing Kara’s hand and guiding her to sit down next to the window.

“Of course. You deserve nothing but the best. I made sure we had our own row, and that you could move in and out easily.” Kara felt her love for Lena swell. She smiled to her, thanking her softly as she leaned back in the large comfortable seat. Some more people bored the plane, but for the most part there weren’t a ton of passengers. Because the flight was only about two and a half hours, the two only got some snacks to munch on. Regardless, Kara was ecstatic to just be there.

The flight was smooth, and Lena started to explain the plan for the next few weeks. They would go to L-Corp tomorrow, but tonight they were going to tour the city. Kara couldn’t do a ton of walking due to her leg still healing, so Lena made sure they were able to drive around in a hired car. Kara couldn’t wait to see National City, and all it had to offer.

For the rest of the week Lena did have to work, but she made sure to give herself plenty of free time in the morning, afternoon, and evening so that she could spend time with Kara during meals and night time. “The penthouse is very close to work, so if you ever get bored there, you could maybe stretch your legs and come visit at L-Corp. Although I can’t promise that I won’t be in meetings for a majority of the day.” Kara had so many questions. Penthouse? Did Lena actually have a penthouse?

“Are you sure I won’t be bothering you? I know you’re going to be busy.” Lena put a hand gently on Kara’s. “I promise; you’ll never be in the way. I’d love to see you. I feel a little bad that I can’t give you a proper vacation due to all this work.” Kara looked at Lena’s hand on hers, butterflies fluttering in her stomach. “It’s not like I can go out very much anyways. I’m just happy to be here, even if it is just using you for your penthouse. Thank you for taking me.” Lena giggled at the sarcastic penthouse remark, smiling wide.

When the plane landed, Lena took Kara by the hand and started to led her through the airport. This one was much larger and much busier than the one by West Alpine. Kara was glad Lena was leading her, because she was so busy looking around in awe to pay attention to where they were going. In her peripheral she could see Lena smiling at her, gently squeezing her hand when they exchanged joyful looks. “This is so cool!” Kara exclaimed as she saw a giant fountain in the middle of the airport.

Lena took Kara to get their bags before heading outside. There was a nice black car with a man standing outside of it. Unfortunately, Lena dropped her hand when she spotted the man, making Kara frown slightly. “Ms. Luthor, lovely to see you again. Ms. Danvers, welcome to National City,” the man said with a wide smile, nodding to both of them.

The inside of the car was luxurious. There was a small glass-door cooler inside with all sorts of champagne and alcoholic drinks. Unfortunately, Kara was still on pain meds that wouldn’t mix well with alcohol. Regardless, she was happy to simply be there, looking wildly through all the windows as the drive pulled away from the airport.

The city was brilliant. There were so many people walking around! There seemed to be thousands of cars just on one street. There were a countless number of tall buildings- compared to the five buildings that were over seven stories in West Alpine –and Kara was amused to see all of the street vendors scattered across the walkways.

Lena watched Kara with an amused smile. She had an unreadable look in her eye, Kara noticed, but when she asked what was wrong Lena only chuckled and shook her head. “Your excitement is amusing is all,” she simply answered. Kara raised an eyebrow, wanting to ask what she meant, but instead looked back out the window. Her attention was quickly drawn to a woman walking a very bougie looking poodle.

The car didn’t go to the penthouse right away. It drove around the entire city, Lena pointing out certain building our landmarks. She knew quite a bit about the city. As one point they passed by a small man made park, which Kara found comical. It started to get dark in the city, and that’s when things really started to come alive. Massive neon signs turned on, and the streets managed to get even busier. So this is what everyone meant by the ‘night life’.

The excitement started to take a toll on Kara. She didn’t have as much energy, getting tired after a while of driving around. Lena understood, asking the drive to take them to the penthouse. “I can make us something to eat, if you’re hungry?” Lena offered. Kara nodded silently, grinning at the idea of having a home cooked meal in the apartment her and Lena were living in together. She couldn’t help but carefully lean again Lena, resting her head on her shoulder. Lena didn’t seem to mind, resting her hand on Kara’s knee.

It didn’t take long for the car to pull up to an extremely tall building. Kara literally had to tilt her head completely back to look all the way up to the top. Lena put a hand against the small of Kara’s back, guiding her into the building. A desk clerk greeted Lena, smiling wide. Kara prepared for the woman to start questioning who she was, but she simply smiled at Kara, obviously not concerned about the unfamiliar face. It was odd, compared to West Alpine where everyone had to know exactly who you were.

The building looked luxurious. Everything was marble, or black stone. Lena took Kara up in an elevator, her fingers intertwined with Kara’s once again. Kara tried to tell herself that it was just so she could lead her around more easily, but she couldn’t help but get giddy feeling Lena’s hand in hers.

Lena pressed the button for the very top floor, and when they got up there, Lena had to scan a blank white plastic card before putting a pin number in. The elevator doors opened to a small hallway that only had one door straight ahead. Lena lead them through the door, and into the penthouse.

If Kara thought Lena’s apartment back in West Alpine was nice, then this had to be literal heaven. The apartment was massive, and two stories. The entire bottom story was one room, with an open kitchen and large TV screen in a fancy living room area. The upstairs catwalk looked to lead to some bedrooms and bathrooms. The walls were all glass, save for the back wall that had all the doors and elevator hallway in it.

Lena allowed Kara to drop her hand to do a slow 360 as she walked farther into the apartment. “This is seriously where we’re going to be staying for the next three weeks?” Kara looked to Lena, shocked. Lena smiled and chuckled at the adorable look on Kara’s face. “Of course we are. I told you; nothing but the best.” She winked and took their bags upstairs. Kara followed her, although she was a little slow.

“Let me show you to your room,” Lena said, taking her to the first door. The room was big, with a king sized bed against one wall, and some furniture scattered around it. Kara’s cheek hurt because she was smiling so much. “Where will you be sleeping?” Kara asked. “Just down the hall. Let me show you.” Lena casually pointed out the bathroom door before opening her own bedroom door.

Kara froze when she looked inside Lena’s bedroom. It looked eerily similar to the one in Kara’s dream. The main difference was some of the furniture, and the color of the room. Instead of being white, this one was a crimson red. Lena’s favorite color. “How come you get the better room?” Kara joked, laughing when she saw the worried look on Lena’s face for a moment.

Once the tour of the apartment was over, the girls went back downstairs, Lena going straight for the kitchen. “My mother restocked everything while I was gone, so we have plenty to eat. We have people who’ve been hired to do our shopping, as well.” Kara raised her eyebrow as she leaned back against the kitchen counter. She wanted to jump up on it, but knew her wounds wouldn’t allow her. “Things are done very differently around here,” Lena said, noticing Kara’s confused face.

Lena dug around in the kitchen for a moment, pulling out different items before she started to get cooking. Kara offered to help, but Lena waved her off. “It’s my treat.” Kara crossed her arms playfully. “Everything about this trip is your treat. Can you let me do something for you? To say thank you?” Lena paused as she chopped some vegetables up. “You just being here is thank you enough.” 

The two of them held eye contact for a long while. Kara didn’t know if she wanted to kiss Lena, or try and push to help her some more. Lena looked back down at what she was doing before Kara could decide. Lena started to talk about what Kara could do while Lena was away at work, but Kara wasn’t entirely listening. She was wondering if she should tell Lena about her dream. It’d been bothering her all week, and seeing how close Lena’s room looked to the dream almost made Kara just blurt it out.

However, Kara held her tongue. She watched Lena cook, forcibly taking the plates from her hands when Lena went to set the table, so that she wasn’t absolutely useless. Lena smiled and laughed at her, thanking Kara. Once the table was set and the food was brought out, the two girls sat down to eat. The meal was delicious, and Kara did her best to eat as much as possible. Ever since the attack, it seemed like her stomach was a little bit smaller, for some odd reason.

Kara helped clean up once they were done eating, but by the end of the night she was so exhausted she was swaying slowly in place, her eyelids drooping. “Maybe you should go to bed, Kara. You’ve had a long day.” Kara hummed in agreement. She was a little worried, however. Ever since she’s been in the hospital, Lena has always been there to help her when she woke up from her nightmares. Would Lena still be willing to help her if it happened again tonight?

Kara knew she couldn’t stay up to prevent the dreams from happening, so she simply tried her best to think of how amazing the day was as she laid in bed. It worked for a little while, Kara dreaming of the city and Lena for a little while. However, the dream started to get dark, and before she could stop it, Kara was back I her home with James above her. This time she didn’t get away, waking up right before James struck.

She bolted upright, gasping in pain when her stomach tensed in protest of the sudden movement. Kara fell backwards into bed, groaning as she hugged herself. She rolled onto her side and curled up into a ball. Tears were spilling out of her eyes as she squeezed them shut. Kara was covered in sweat, yet she shivered. She didn’t move until the pain in her abdomen started to subside, and her breathing returned to semi-normal.

Kara knew that she wasn’t going to be able to fall back asleep alone. She wondered if Lena was in bed right now. She wanted to be next to Lena so bad. Maybe that would help her sleep again? Lena had always been by her side to help, so what if that’s exactly what she needed?

After some thought, Kara finally got up and shuffled to Lena’s bedroom. The door was slightly open, and when Kara peaked her head around it she could see Lena sleeping. For a moment Kara almost turned back, not wanting to wake Lena up. Her desire to be next to her, however, made Kara move forward.

She walked into the room, feeling like a small child as she gently put a hand to Lena’s shoulder. Kara gently shook her, relieved that Lena woke up easily. The only light in the room was the moon shining through the large window in the room. Lena looked beautiful, even with a sleepy look on her face. “Are you okay?” Lena asked groggily. “I don’t mean to be a burden, but…” Lena hushed Kara, realizing what she wanted.

Lena moved over in the large bed and pushed the covers back. “Come here.” She opened her arms out, inviting Kara in. Kara crawled carefully into bed, wincing a little as she shuffled close to Lena. The scent of roses and mixed berries engulfed Kara as Lena hugged her to her chest. She was warm, and soft, and instantly made Kara feel safe. Kara took in a deep breath, closing her eyes as she pressed herself into Lena as much as possible. Lena’s fingers glided through her hair, gently scratching her scalp. “I’ll keep you safe,” Lena whispered right before Kara fell asleep.

Kara was back in the dream bedroom. Everything was white, and she could hear Lena somewhere off in the distance. It was the same dream as the first time, but when Kara woke up, it was to Lena gently calling out her name. Kara woke up to the sunshine streaming into the crimson room. She was laying on top of Lena, using her shoulder as a pillow. “Oh, sorry,” Kara said, assuming she was too heavy for Lena. She stopped, however, when Lena’s arms wrapped around her to keep her in place.

“You were humming in your sleep. I was making sure everything was okay.” Lena smiled softly up at Kara. There was a moment as everything stopped around her as she looked down at Lena. Kara’s hair cascaded down on one side, and Lena’s raven curls were beautifully spread across the pillow she was resting against. Lena’s eyes were even greener when she just woke up, and her lips were a soft pink color. She looked beautiful in the morning light.

Kara wanted to lean down and kiss her more than anything. Before she could, however, an alarm went off. Completely broken out of the moment, Kara rolled off of Lena so that she could turn off the alarm. “We’ve got to get ready for the day. I promised to show you around L-Corp, remember?” Lena smiled to Kara, but there was noticeable disappointment in her eyes.

The two of them got out of bed, Kara changing into a loose but formal button up, and comfortable pants. Lena wore her usual blouse and skirt, putting her hair up into a bun. Kara left hers down, wearing her glasses. It was a relaxed morning, and Lena made Kara some bacon and eggs for breakfast. Lena simply had a coffee, saying that food before work always upset her stomach.

On the short drive to L-Corp, Lena asked Kara a question. “Were you able to sleep last night? With me in the bed as well?” Kara nodded, worried that she kept Lena up because of how they slept. “I’m sorry if it was too much,” Kara said, trying not to frown. Lena quickly shook her head. “No, no, you’re fine! I slept well, too. I just didn’t know if it helped or not.” Relief flushed over Kara. She was glad Lena didn’t mind her sleeping in the same bed last night. “If you think it might help, we can just stay like that for the rest of the trip?” Kara smiled gratefully, trying to not seem too excited as she nodded. 

The imposing figure of L-Corp appeared in the car window shortly after the conversation ended. Kara stared at it, unsure of how it made her feel. There was a lot of pain for Lena in this building, yet Lena didn’t seem to mind. She was texting someone on her phone, only giving the building a single blank glance before looking back at what she was doing. Maybe Kara could help rewrite some of the bad memories associated with L-Corp?

Once the car was stopped, Lena helped Kara out. She didn’t grab her hand like Kara wanted her to, but she did place a hand on the small of her back, walking closely to her. The inside of the building looked like something from a movie. It was large, full of people bustling around, everyone in a suit or formal clothing. Kara looked around in awe as Lena lead her through the first floor.

There wasn’t anything too exciting at first. However, when they went up a few stories to the offices things started to get interesting. It wasn’t your typical cubical situation that most offices had. It was more like a laboratory with lots of desks and computers. There were people working in lab coats, looking through microscopes and expensive looking machines. “What does L-Corp do, exactly?” Kara asked as she looked around.

“Currently we’re working on DNA testing for various things. Lex is trying to push for the company to start testing out genetic modification, but there’s some ethical boundaries that are being put up.” Kara raised an eyebrow. Genetic modification? Was he trying to create a better human? Kara could understand why people were questioning the ethics of those types of experiments.

Lena showed Kara around the rest of the building until they were finally at her office. “This place is really cool,” Kara said as she sat down on the couch that Lena offered. “Thank you. This was my old office when I was helping co-run this place. It’s my favorite room in the building, because I’ve got the most privacy here- besides the cameras, that is.” Kara glanced around, noticing little black cameras all around the room.

Lena sat at her desk, turning her chair as she sat in it. She looked rather imposing with such a large desk, and her features seemed to be sharpened by her dark makeup she wore today. Kara was about to mention how boss-like she looked, when suddenly a phone on the desk rang. Lena frowned, but answered it on speaker phone. “Yes?” She called to the phone.

“Ms. Luthor, Mr. Wood would like to move the meeting up to now. He’s already here.” Lena looked annoyed. “I moved his meeting back to two in the afternoon. He knows this; he responded to my email only a few days ago.” Her voice was filled with irritation, and she pinched the bridge of her nose like she always did when she was annoyed. “I know, ma’am, but he says the original meeting time was set up by Mr. Luthor, and he’s honoring that schedule, not the one you gave him.”

“Fine. Show him to the meeting room. I’ll be down in a few minutes.” Lena hung up the phone and sighed, squeezing her eyes closed for a moment. “I’m sorry, Kara. This meeting shouldn’t be too long, if you’d like to just wait in here.” Kara was interested in how Lena planned on handling this Wood guy. “Would I be a burden if I sat in on the meeting?” Lena paused before shaking her head. “No, it’s not going to be confidential or anything… Are you sure?” Kara nodded, giving Lena a small smile. “I’d love to see how you are when you work.”

Lena smiled gratefully, apparently happy to have Kara by her side. The two of them went down a few floors, to an area that looked much more like a typical office. There were large cubicles filled with people at their desks. There was a glass room across the office space, where a rather impatient man sat at a large table with a mixture of people. Lena walked ahead of Kara, noticeably straightening her back and squaring her shoulders. Kara could practically see the power emanating from her as they walked into the room.

“Mr. Wood,” Lena called out in a powerful voice, walking to the head of the table. Kara casually took a seat away from everyone else. “I thought we agreed to meet later in the day,” Lena questioned, turning to look at the impatient man. “I never fully agreed to that,” the man said in a snide tone. Kara could feel her own temper starting to raise, but Lena seemed to stay calm. “Then who in the world did I email the other day, and who agreed to meet later in the afternoon?” A few people snickered at the sarcastic question.

“What seems to be so important that you’ve disrupted my entire day, Mr. Wood?” Lena raised her eyebrow, leaning forward to put both hands down on the table. She looked like she was challenging this man to make one wrong step. The display reminded Kara of two wolves challenging one another. Lena seemed to be the bigger wolf, because Mr. Wood noticeably shrank in his seat. He mumbled something about the company, although Kara had no idea what it meant.

To be honest, Kara so was too focused on Lena to care. She was oddly attractive when she put on this powerful persona. Her head was held higher, her shoulders broader, and she looked physically taller. “I’d appreciate it if you’d respect my authority, Christopher Wood. I’m the one in charge around here, not Lex, and most certainly not you… But since we’re already here, we might as well start.” Lena shot daggers at Chris, glaring at him as she stood to her full height.

Lena started to talk about some science stuff. Something about DNA, and the research they were doing. Kara listened as best she could, but most of it went above her head. Still, she was happy to just watch Lena talk. She was even more attractive when she showed off both her power and smarts. The meeting lasted for about an hour, a few people asking questions that Lena answered straight away. Christopher Wood was silent for most of the meaning, but when he spoke he was much more respectful to Lena.

Once everyone had shuffled out of the meeting room, Kara watched Lena deflate. She visibly relaxed her shoulders, and that stoic look on her face melted away. “God that was annoying,” Lena checked her watch, “But at least we still have time for some lunch. Would you like me to call in some food? There’s a more private conference room upstairs that we can hang out in for a little while.” Kara smiled at the thought of food, nodding in agreement.

It didn’t take very long for some younger woman to go out and get the two women their food. She seemed to be Lena’s assistant, because Kara recognized her voice as the woman who called Lena about Chris Wood’s defiance. Lena thanked her assistant, smirking at the hungry look on Kara’s face as she looked at the food. The girls casually talked for a little while before Lena mentioned their plans for the rest of the day.

“I have a few more meetings to get through for today, but I was thinking afterwards I can take you out to dinner?” Lena sweetly smiled, tilting her head to the side a little bit. The thought of a nice dinner with Lena sounded delightful, but then Kara realized that there was a slight dilemma. “I didn’t pack anything much nicer than this today,” she admitted. Lena glanced at the outfit.

“If you’re comfortable, you and Katie- my assistant –can go out shopping while I work? I won’t need her, and she’s a very sweet girl.” Kara thought for a moment. She was social enough that talking with a new person didn’t worry her. She just didn’t want to be a burden. “If Katie’s okay with it, I don’t mind. I think I brought my wallet with me.” Kara stared to search her pockets, but Lena’s laugh stopped her. “Oh, no, you can just use my credit card.” Kara narrowed her eyes, frowning slightly. “I don’t want to use your money.”

Lena waved her off, already texting Katie about the new plans. “It’s connected to my family bank account. You could buy the most expensive dress in National City, and they wouldn’t even notice,” Lena said as she put her phone away. Although still a little uncomfortable, Kara agreed. She ate the rest of her meal with Lena before she had to go to some more meetings.

Katie showed up as they were cleaning up, smiling to Kara. They introduced themselves, shaking each other’s hands. Katie was a very sweet girl, with a bright smile. She seemed to be a few years younger than Kara. Maybe twenty-one or twenty-two. Before the two of them walked out, Lena gave Katie her credit card. Kara was a little reluctant to leave, but after Lena gave her a strong hug, she knew that it would be alright.

Katie lead the way out of the building, taking them to the same car that Kara had showed up in. “So Ms. Luthor tells me you need an outfit for a dinner tonight. Do you prefer dresses, or suits?” As much as Kara would love to wear a suit, she knew that with her injuries it wouldn’t be the most comfortable. She was wearing a loose shirt, but she still felt like it was too tight. “A dress should work. I don’t want anything too fancy.”

“Ms. Luthor said you would say that. She’s instructed me to ignore what you say about price, and asked me to tell you that money is not an issue, and to stop being so modest.” Katie smiled, and Kara couldn’t help but laugh a little. That sounded like Lena. “Okay, fine. Take me to where the dresses are best.” Katie grinned wide and chuckled. “Of course.” She directed the driver to a fancy sounded store before sitting back in her seat.

The drive took about ten minutes, where Kara and Katie casually talked. She learned that Katie was brand new to the company, and had been hired specifically to help Lena. However, while Lena was away helping Kara, Katie’s job was put on hold. She was grateful to still be working for Lena, because for a few days she didn’t know if she still had a job or not.

The car pulled up to an elegant looking dress store. Katie got out, Kara following slowly behind her. She didn’t exactly know what to expect. To Kara dress shopping was going to a few small family owned businesses and trying to make what they had work. As soon as Kara stepped into the dress shop, however, she realized how different it was going to be.

Hundreds of beautiful, elegant dresses lined the walls, and hung from racks around the store. The minute Kara and Katie stepped into the store a woman came up to them and offered to help them look. Kara was about to deny the help, not wanting to bother the woman, but Katie quickly said yes. “Can we start a fitting room, and cue up some dresses?” Katie smiled back at Kara, who looked lost.

Within five minutes Katie had picked out almost a dozen dresses. Kara had to gently remind her that most of them were too tight for her current situation. Katie reluctantly asked for the associate to put some of the dresses back, but kept a small handful. She seemed to stick to the color blue, mentioning that it’ll make Kara’s eyes pop.

Kara got a chance to choose some of her own dresses, slowly trying them on. She avoided looking in a mirror, or even down at her body, until the dresses were completely zipped up. There were a few cute ones, but Kara eventually fell in love with a completely lace dress, with no sleeves and a high neck. It went down to just above her knees, and it flared a little bit. The bodice was a little tight against Kara’s abdomen, but at that point she accepted that it was the best she was going to get.

When she showed Katie, her eyes lit up. “That’s the one! Lena will love it!” The two women smiled wide at each other before Kara returned to the fitting room to change back into her normal clothes. Katie didn’t allow Kara to look at the price tag on the dress, quickly buying it as Kara changed. By the time she was out of the fitting room the dress was bagged up and ready to go.

It had taken about two hours for them to find a dress, so by the time they got back to L-Corp it was early evening. Kara went up to Lena’s office, freezing when she realized that Lena was on a conference call with someone. Lena’s eyes lit up when she saw Kara, giving her a genuine smile. Kara mirrored the smile, walking as quietly as she could into the office. Lena spoke to whoever was talking on the phone, using the authoritative tone she used on Chris Wood.

As soon as the call was over, Lena stood up to greet Kara. “How was it? Did you find something you liked?” Kara told Lena about the mini adventure, but didn’t hint at the dress she got. She wanted to surprise Lena when she put it on for her. “I just need to call one more person, and then my schedule is free for the rest of the night. Do you mind waiting? You can rest on the couch; I can tell you’re exhausted.”

Kara was in fact very tired. Trying on the dresses took a lot of effort, and her pain medication was starting to ware off. Gratefully Kara went and sat down on the couch, watching Lena sit back down to work. The last call she had to make seemed to go much better than the last. Lena didn’t look too annoyed as she spoke with the woman on the other end of the line. They were talking deadlines and science much like Lena’s first meeting of the day.

The call took a little longer than Kara had expected, so she took the time to fully lounge out on the couch. She laid down, using her arms as pillows as she closed her eyes for a moment. Lena continued speaking, but her voice started to make less sense as Kara started to doze off into accidental sleep. When she woke up, it was to Lena kneeling next to her, gently rubbing her stomach. The contact didn’t hurt; in fact, it felt really nice.

“Are you sure you’re up for tonight? We can go tomorrow for lunch if you’re too tired,” Lena said in the softest, sweetest voice Kara had ever heard. “No, I’m alright. Just give me a minute. I really want to go, trust me,” Kara said. She didn’t sit up right away, instead turning her head to look at Lena. She looked slightly concerned, but figured Kara knew her limit. “Then let’s get going. We can stop at the penthouse to change before heading to the restaurant.” Lena helped Kara sit up, chuckling at her slightly messy hair.

Once at the penthouse Lena stepped into her bedroom to change. Kara took her new dress, quickly slipping into it before waiting in the living room. She didn’t want to sit down, for some reason too nervous to sit still. Eventually Kara heard Lena’s door open, looking up to see Lena smiling down at her. She was wearing a burgundy suit, with a black undershirt and black lining the jacket. Lena looked rather handsome, her hair still in a tight bun, and her lipstick a little darker.

“You look beautiful,” Lena said from the catwalk, looking down to Kara, who blushed. “You do, too,” Kara replied simply, feeling flustered under Lena’s gaze. They stared at one another for a few heart beats before Lena finally walked down the stairs. “Can I do something before we leave?” Lena asked softly, almost whispering it. Kara furrowed her eyebrows, but agreed to whatever she wanted to do. Lena stepped away, turning on what looked to be a music system.

A slow classical song started to play over some speakers through-out the apartment. Lena went back to Kara, carefully grabbing her hands and pulling her in closer. She held one of Kara’s hands, putting the other gently on her waste. “Can you dance?” Lena mirrored Kara’s smile, chuckling as Kara laughed. “I can sway in a circle, but that’s about it,” Kara admitted. “That’s more than enough,” Lena replied softly, moving her hand so her entire arm wrapped around Kara’s waist.

Kara rested her free arm across Lena’s shoulders, happily swaying along with the music. They didn’t say anything for a long time, simply smiling at each other. Eventually Kara moved to lean her head against Lena’s shoulder. “I know you told me not to say this,” Kara whispered after another long moment, “but thank you for saving my life. You mean the world to me, and I’m so happy I met you.” She felt Lena squeeze her hand. Kara lifted her head up to look at Lena.

Their eyes met, and Kara couldn’t help but glance down at Lena’s lips. They simultaneously slowed their dancing to a complete stop. Kara started to slowly lean in, a small grin stretching across her face when she saw that Lena wasn’t pulling away. In fact, Kara could have sworn she leaned in ever so slightly. Their lips got closer, and closer, until they were literally an inch away. Right before Kara was about to dive forward, a ringtone suddenly went off.

Instinctively Kara pulled back, surprised by the sudden noise. Lena muttered a ‘fuck’ under her breath, pulling away to grab her cellphone in her pocket. “Hello?” She aggressively answered, her face visibly red. “We’ll be down in a second,” Lena huffed after a pause. She hung up, looked down at Kara’s lips, and then up at her eyes. “The car is waiting for us. We should get going.” Kara frowned at the ruined moment, feeling a little frustrated. However, she allowed Lena to step fully away, her hands dropping limply to her sides.

After turning off the music, the two girls went downstairs, to the awaiting car. They were silent for most of the ride, both of them obviously disappointed about the moment earlier. However, the mood picked back up as they got to the restaurant. It was a large, obviously very expensive dining place. Soft classical music played from a live band, and everyone was in couples. The hostess spoke French to Lena, who fluently spoke back, causing Kara to double take. Since when did Lena speak French?!

The hostess lead Lena and Kara back to a more secluded area of the restaurant. There were still some people around, but far less than the main dining area. They were seated, and straight away a man with a wine bottle came over. He offered it to Lena, who denied it, asking for water instead. Kara asked for the same thing, although she had to admit she was craving some wine at the moment.

“So how was work? It seemed a few of your business partners were giving you a hard time.” Kara looked down at the menu, but of course it was all in French. She glanced anxiously at Lena, who seemed amused at her confusion. “I’ll order something for you, don’t worry. They have some very good lobster macaroni that I think you’ll like.” Kara’s eyes lit up at the mention of macaroni, smiling wide.

“As for work, it was alright. I’m used to people trying to undermine me. It’s just annoying when they do it so blatantly,” Lena paused, studying Kara’s face for a moment, “I’m glad you’re here with me, though. It makes the day go by much easier. Give me something to look forward to at the end of the day.” Kara blushed, smiling into her glass of water.

The two of them talked casually, Lena pausing when she recognized one of the songs that the band was playing. Kara watched her listen in silence, studying her face. Lena closed her eyes, swaying ever so slightly to the violin. There was a tiny grin that pulled at her lips, and her eyebrows moved with emotion. She was absolutely beautiful.

“Hey, uhm… Can I tell you something?” This was the moment… This was the moment Kara wanted to remember for the rest of her life. She wanted to remember the blissful look on Lena’s face; how beautiful she was in her red suit with her matching makeup. She wanted to remember the feeling of anxiety and love in her chest. She wanted to engrave the song that was playing into her memory, so that she would never forget it.

Lena quizzically looked at Kara, waiting for her to speak. “We’ve been through a lot the past few weeks, and I know it was really tense around Christmas time, but after almost… After almost losing you it made me really want to explain to you how much you mean to me.” She watched Lena’s beautiful green eyes darting all over her face, eyebrows slightly knitted together.

“You started off as an amazing friend, and since I’ve known you I can’t help but notice how close we’ve been. I don’t know if I’m misreading the signals, but I don’t think I am. I realized how I felt a few weeks ago, and I’ve really been wanting to tell you. I was too scared to at first, but after the incident with James I dreamt about us… It made me realize that I should say this before it’s too late; I – “

“Why if it isn’t Ms. Luthor!” A voice interrupted Kara right before she was about to say it. Lena’s gaze broke away from Kara, looking towards the person who spoke. A middle aged man in a formal tux was strolling over to them, waving. Kara could feel her face get red with frustration. She was literally half a second away from saying what she wanted to say, but now the moment was ruined again!

“Jeremy?” Lena raised her eyebrow. She also seemed to be frustrated, but she quickly masked it as this Jeremy guy got closer. “Of course! It’s been so long, how have you been?!” Jeremy was loud and obnoxious. He leaned down and hugged Lena tightly, aggressively patting her back. Kara watched in frustrated shock, noticing the embarrassed look in Lena’s eyes.

“Where have you been? All your students miss you!” Students? Was this guy from Stanford? Lena looked a little confused, glancing to Kara. “I moved away a few months ago. I’m teaching in a small town up in Washington now.” Jeremy raised an eyebrow. “You’re telling me you’re wasting your talent to teach kids in Washington?” Lena frowned, and Kara couldn’t help but feel insulted. Lena may have a ton of potential, but that didn’t mean she was wasting it on high school kids.

“I’m happy where I am now, thank you very much.” Lena answered grumpily. Jeremy didn’t seem to fully listen, finally looking over to Kara. “Oh, excuse me for being rude. I’m Jeremy Jordan. How are you?” Jeremy extended a hand, putting on what Kara assumed was supposed to be a charming smile.

“Kara Danvers,” Kara answered simply, giving Jeremy’s hand one shake before pulling away. He didn’t seem to notice the tension at the table, turning back to Lena. “A lot of teachers think you should come back to Stanford. That old douche who threatened to fire you has retired, and most of those nasty professors have also left. It’d be a great new start!” Lena frowned up at Jeremy.

“I’m content with where I am right now. Thank you for letting me know, though.” There was a tense silence where Jeremy just smiled and nodded for a moment. He glanced awkwardly between the two women before clapping his hands. “Well it was great talking to you two. I’ll leave you to enjoy your evening.” Jeremy waved as if there wasn’t any obvious annoyance on both girls faces.

The two of them were silent as they looked awkwardly at each other. Kara didn’t know how- or even if –she should continue with what she was about to admit. Lena looked confused as well, stiffly looking down at her hands in her lap. Their food came as they were in the middle of this wordless moment. Kara thanked the waiter, but didn’t go for her food straight away.

“Would you ever go back to Stanford if you had the chance?” Kara asked softly. The question wasn’t meant to make Lena upset, or put her in an uncomfortable situation. She frowned at Kara, furrowing her eyebrows. “I mean like, if you had to chance to move away anywhere, would you go?” She wanted to know if Lena ever planned on leaving West Alpine, like she did.

Lena thought for a moment, looking at the still steaming food in front of her. “I think I would like to leave somewhere one day… But not Stanford.” Kara tilted her head. She wouldn’t go back to her very high end career? “Jeremy made it seem like just a few people got mad at me and were rude. It wasn’t, though; all my friends turned on me. They spoke lies and gave me dirty looks every time they saw me. It’s not a place I want to go back to.”

Lena looked sat as she spoke, frowning down at the table. Kara also frowned, now angry at Jeremy the Jerk for ruining their time completely. He not only interrupted what Kara was about to say, but brought up all the stress and negative emotions Lena went through at the end of her Stanford days. Kara gently tapped the table with her finger, trying to think of something else to say to lighten the mood.

She picked up her fork and took a bite of her macaroni. It was amazing, but as Kara did her usual hum of approval, it didn’t help. Lena also started to slowly eat her own food, but it was obvious her mind was elsewhere. “So where’s your dream place to live?” Kara asked, resting an elbow on the table to put her chin in her hand.

“I’m not just saying this because we’re in a French restaurant,” Lena said as Kara chuckled at her attempt at joking, “But I’d love to go anywhere in France.” Lena started to smile a little, thinking about the foreign country. “What about you?” Lena's head tilted to the side slightly. “I’m not really sure,” Kara said with a shrug. “I’ve never really been anywhere outside of West Alpine. My birth parents moved briefly, but I don’t remember much of that place… I’d have to actually think about it to give you an honest answer.”

Lena nodded as she listened, watching Kara talk. “You know what I’ve always wondered?” Lena looked at Kara confused by the sudden questioning. “Why did you choose West Alpine? Out of all the small towns, why that one?” Lena thought for a moment before shrugging. “I guess I just threw a dart on a map and that’s where it hit? I saw that it was far away enough from National City that I’d have my independence, but close enough to give me an out if West Alpine didn’t work out. I guess I was just lucky?” Kara scoffed, grinning.

“Lucky that you landed in a judgmental town where the only thing to do is have town parties, or go to a museum?” Kara smiled, feeling the happy mood bubbling back up. Lena chuckled, shaking her head. “No, I’m lucky because I managed to choose the one town that had you in it… And Alex, Maggie, and Winn. I met my best friends there, even if the town itself is kind of terrible.” Kara overflowed with happiness knowing that she could make West Alpine a better place for her. She was glad Lena choose that small town, even if she was right; it was a terrible place.

“What about your dream job? Would you ever go back to teaching high school?” Kara now started to eat along with Lena. Her macaroni was amazing, so she was glad the mood wasn’t completely ruined by Jeremy. “I don’t think I would,” Lena said after a moment. “Don’t get me wrong, I love my kids at West Alpine. They’re an amazing bunch. I just don’t think I’d really want to teach my whole life. My real interest is science. I’d love to help people, honestly…” Lena talked more about what she would like to do, Kara listening intently as she spoke.

Lena spoke for a while about what her true dream job would be. She talked passionately, and Kara couldn’t help but admire her. Lena was very beautiful when she spoke with such vigor. Her excitement poured into Kara, making her even start to think about her dream job. She also wanted to help people, although maybe not as a police officer. Kara remembered her dream. She was a detective in a big city. Maybe that would be a good career path?

“I know you teach kids, but do they make you want to be a parent later on?” Kara wanted to hear Lena talk more about what she wanted for the future. It was inspiring, and made her smile. Lena made a cute thinking face before shaking her head. “I enjoy the older kids I have now, and I really did love my students back at Stanford, but I don’t think I’d ever want the be a parent. What about you?” Kara nodded in agreement. “They’re a lot of responsibility. I’m not really interested in spending most of my life raising another’s.” She gave a small shrug. Kids just weren’t her thing.

“You’d want to get married though, right?” Lena asked as she sipped her drink. Kara nodded vigorously. “Oh, of course. I’ve always thought marriage was the most romantic thing in the world. I pictured myself getting married even at a young age- although I guess that was just the world brainwashing me into thinking…” Kara trailed off, realizing that she probably shouldn’t be talking about political things at dinner. “Uh, yeah. I’d love to get married one day.” Lena smiled sweetly at her, chuckling as Kara was obviously flustered.

They talked for a little while longer before deciding that it was time to return to the apartment. Kara didn’t realize how tired she was until she was sitting in the car with Lena. She was trying to avoid leaning against her, but Lena seemed to understand how exhausted she was. Lena put her arm under Kara’s back and pulled her carefully closer, making sure not to hurt her. Kara tried not to sound too happy as she sighed, cuddling into Lena.

Once they were back at the apartment, Lena took Kara to her room, simply to change out of her dress. “Do you need help with the zipper?” Lena asked, wanting to make sure Kara could get the dress off by herself. “I mean I got the dress on myself, I should be able to get it off?” Kara was glad that her back was turned to Lena, because she was blushing like crazy.

Kara tried to reach back for her zipper to show Lena she could, but started groaning when she felt the muscles in her abdomen painfully protesting. Why in the world was it suddenly a problem now? Kara heard Lena scoff behind her before warm hands pressed against her shoulder blades. 

Kara’s eyes went wide, and she felt her heartbeat quicken at the sensation. “Do you want me to help you?” Lena asked gently. Kara slowly lowered her arms, which had frozen midair after she tried to reach the zipper. “Y… Yes,” Kara mumbled, internally freaking out. Hundreds of thoughts ran through her head as she felt Lena’s hands move.

The sound of the zipper slowly lowering was deafening in Kara’s ears. She bit her lip, feeling the fabric of the dress loosen as the zipper went down. The end of zipper reached just above the back of Kara’s hips. Lena pushed the dress a little off her shoulders, but stopped before it fell off completely. “Do you need any more help?” She asked softly.

For a moment Kara wondered if she should be bold. She could feel Lena’s eyes looking at her back, and it gave her goosebumps. However, she didn’t want to ruin everything with her own lust. “I’m fine, thank you,” Kara mumbled softly. She heard Lena walking away, glancing back to make sure she was gone before shrugging the dress off the rest of the way.

Kara sighed, her heart starting to beat at a normal rate as she pulled her hair out of its up-do. Kara avoided the mirror as she pulled some comfortable sleeping clothes on. When she walked to Lena’s room, she saw Lena already dressed and sitting in bed. She was reading a book, her hair now in a lazy bun. When she noticed Kara in the doorway, she smiled and pat the spot next to her.

Kara crawled into bed, flopping face down into the pillow. She was exhausted, and a little sore. She felt Lena’s hand gently press against her back. “I hope you had a good time today,” She said softly. Kara could only hum in confirmation, feeling Lena’s hand slowly rubbing her upper back. It felt amazing, and reminded Kara of what she had wanted to tell Lena at dinner.

She wanted to say how she felt, but the procrastination due to their interruption at dinner made the anxiety build up too much. Kara couldn’t say that she loved Lena now; even if the moment felt almost as perfect at the moment during their dinner.

So, Kara remained silent. She fell asleep to Lena gently rubbing her back, a small smile on her lips. She didn’t dream a lot, but Kara was completely okay with that. She’d had too many nightmares the past few days, so it felt nice to just sleep for once.

Kara did, however, have the recurring dream about her and Lena. She woke up hugging a pillow that smelt like roses and berries. It was Kara’s favorite scent by now. She buried her nose into the pillow, grinning into the soft fabric. She couldn’t smell the bacon or breakfast food like she usually did, but she could still hear Lena moving around. Kara sighed gently as she moved her face out of the pillow. The room seemed a little darker than normal, but Kara was so groggy from just waking up that she couldn’t figure out why it seemed off.

Regardless, she was content. Lena eventually walked into the room, although she didn’t sit on the side of the bed like she usually did. Instead, Lena felt her crawl next to her, laying down to hug her close. “Good morning,” Lena whispered softly, her nose pressing into Kara’s hair. Kara smiled, turning a little so they were spooning. She pushed herself as close as possible to Lena.

They stayed like that for a long time, Kara perfectly content. After a while, Lena spoke. “If you’re hungry, I can make us something to eat? We’ve got plenty of time this morning.” Kara nodded her head in agreement, feeling Lena shift to get up. Kara rolled onto her back, watching Lena sit up. “Hey,” Kara said as she reached out to gently touch Lena’s arm.

Lena paused, looking back to her. Kara smiled sleepily. “You know I love you, right?” Kara expected Lena to return her smile, and say that she loved her back. They were already dating in this reality, right? Instead, Lena looked shocked.

That was weird… Something was off… What was off? Kara knew she couldn’t smell bacon like she did the pasts two times, and the room… It was considerably darker. Not because of the sun, but as if the walls were darker. It all came to Kara at once; Why it smelled different, why the room wasn’t white but instead red, and why Lena looked like so surprised.

Kara bolted up so fast that it made her still healing muscles burn painfully. Kara’s eyes were wide as she stared at Lena. “Oh my god,” was all Kara could say for a moment. Lena still stared at her, as if she was still processing what happened. Maybe Kara could take it back? It might not be too late; she could find a way to take it back.

“Lena, I am so sorry, I thought I was dreaming. I didn’t – “Lena suddenly spoke, cutting off Kara’s rambling. “You love me?” Her eyebrows were raised so high that they looked like they were going to rise into her hairline. Kara paused, trying to find another way of taking her words back. She realized it was too late, unfortunately. She shrank a little bit, silently cussing at herself as she mumbled, “Y… Yeah, I do.”

In a rush of movement Lena’s lips were on Kara’s. It was so sudden that Kara didn’t process that she should be kissing back straight away. Her eyes were wide for a moment, trying to figure out what was going on. Lena was… Kissing her. She wasn’t mad, or yelling. She was _kissing Kara_.

Kara closed her eyes, carefully reaching forward as she started to move her against Lena. Her fingers tangled into Lena’s hair. The feeling of Lena’s lips against Kara’s- in real life –felt 100 times better. They moved in unison, Kara pushing forward a little bit as her excitement grew. She felt Lena move closer to her, so Kara moved both hands to her hips.

They didn’t break apart for a long time. At one point Lena made a small sound in the back of her throat. Kara tried to pull away to make sure everything was okay, but Lena didn’t allow her, pushing back into the kiss so quickly that it made both of them fall back onto the bed. Lena made sure not to put her weight on Kara, all her weight on her knees as she hovered over her.

Eventually Lena did pull away, after a solid five minutes. Kara had respectfully kept her hands on Lena’s waist, although her fingers did start to grip a little tighter towards the end. Lena panted above Kara, looking down at her. They were silent for a moment, and all Kara could think to say was, “Is it something I said?”

Lena started laughing so hard that she actually snorted. She collapsed forward, resting her head on Kara’s shoulder as she laughed. “Yeah, you could say that,” Lena said through her laughter. Kara couldn’t help but chuckle with her. “So you’re not upset?” Kara asked as Lena calmed down, moving to allow Kara to sit up slowly.

“Why would I be upset?” Lena smirked and raised an eyebrow. Her cheeks were red, and her hair was falling out of its messy style. Kara shrugged a little. “I wasn’t sure if you… Uh...” Kara blushed, feeling like a child in high school. Why was she having such a hard time saying the word ‘love’? “You weren’t sure if I love you back?” Lena giggled a little bit. “Kara, I’ve been in love with you from day one.” Lena had really loved her for that long? Was Kara really that oblivious?

“Really?” Kara asked softly. Lena smiled gently at her. She leaned forward and kissed Kara for a moment. “Would I have done that if I wasn’t telling the truth?” She asked softly. Kara blushed all over again, a deliriously happy smile on her face. Lena really did love her. She’d been putting her feelings off all this time for nothing!

She had waited for so long just for this moment. “So uh… Girlfriends?” Really? Kara had months to think of how to ask Lena out- she literally daydreamed about it –and that’s how she asked her?! Lena didn’t seem to care. Her smile was brilliant, and her eyes shined bright as she nodded.

“Yeah, girlfriends,” Lena said as she laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really appreciate everyone who stuck around and read the whole thing. You guys mean a lot to me, and I hope everyone enjoyed the story. Your comments really inspired me, and I had a lot of fun with this. It was nice to be passionate about something again, so thanks to everyone who gave me that passion.
> 
> Everybody stay safe out there <3  
> -Aries


	8. Happily Ever After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All of the cute relationship stuff, with a happy ending.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the final chapter! Thank you to everyone who made it to the end, and an even bigger thanks to those who waited for me to finally write the true ending to this story. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did!
> 
> I appreciate all of you,  
> -Aries

2 months. The past 2 months have been absolute bliss in Kara’s life. She was currently lying in bed, half naked but warm under the thick flannel blankets of Lena’s bed, reminiscing. She had always wondered what Lena’s bedroom loft looked like, and she quickly figured that out within the first two of them finally dating. While Lena and Kara had been on their three week visit to National City, Kara had accidentally admitted her love for her best friend to Lena. It didn’t go as badly as Kara thought it was going to go; In fact, it didn’t go badly at all.

Lena had apparently felt the same way long before Kara. Apparently, ever since the two women first met- when Kara saved Lena from the clutches of Eric Matthews -Lena had started to feel something for her. Lena said something along the lines of, “I thought you looked absolutely stunning in the fire light, and instantly knew that I had a small crush on the towns cop. As I started to get to know you, the bigger the crush got. Eventually, I realized that I was fully in love with you.” Kara had given her many kisses after Lena told her that, both of them still laying in Lena’s bed in National City.

They continued to ask each other questions about how they knew, or when they figured out their emotions. “I realized I fell for you when I was singing in the bar on Veterans day,” Kara told her new lover. Lena giggled, talking about how she looked so amazing that night. She had realized her love long before, apparently; When they went hiking up the mountain, and Kara had screamed at a resident when they tried talking bad about Lena.

And now, 2 whole months have passed. The girls kept their relationship a secret for the first three weeks, making sure they were fully comfortable with one another before doing anything else. Kara had always prided herself on knowing Lena better than anyone in the town. However, after they spent their first night together back at West Alpine, Kara realized that she didn’t know nearly as much as she thought.

Kara stared up at the ceiling of Lena’s apartment, one arm outstretched across the bed, while the other was relaxed across her stomach. Lena had gotten up about an hour earlier, saying that she had some things to do for work. It was almost the end of the school year, and she was trying to write her own final exam for the kids. Kara let her have some time to herself, relaxing on her day off. She actually had the entire weekend off. After going public- as in telling her close group of friends -about her and Lena’s relationship, Kara had called her mother and told her the good news.

Ms. Danvers was ecstatic for her daughter, and instantly started to talk about how she wanted to meet her when they got a chance. Well, they finally got a chance, and that was this weekend. Kara was pretty calm about it, knowing her mother would love Lena. Lena, however, seemed to still be very nervous, even after having talked to Ms. Danvers multiple times on the phone.

Kara could hear Lena nervously moving around downstairs, apparently having moved on from her school work, to doing a little bit of last minute packing. They were going to be leaving in a few hours to start driving to Colorado, which also made Lena anxious. Figuring her girlfriend could use something to calm her down, Kara finally got out of bed. She pulled on some fitted sweatpants, and her button up flannel that had been hastily discarded onto the floor the night before. She started to button it up as she strolled down the stairs, but paused when she looked over to see that Lena had started to deconstruct her own neat suitcase.

“Uh… What are you doing?” Kara asked, forgetting about her shirt, hands instantly reaching out to gently grab the folded pants that Lena was taking out of the case. “I think I packed the wrong shoes; I wanted to bring my snow boots, not my sneakers- You said it would still be snowing there, right? I don’t want to be walking around in sneakers.” Lena looked slightly frazzled, but Kara couldn’t help but silently admire her beauty regardless.

“Baby, we already switched your shoes out a few days ago. You already put your snow boots in here instead of your sneakers.” Lena paused, eyebrows furrowing as she tried to remember what Kara was talking about. The realization on her face was so comical that Kara couldn’t help but laugh. She gently took Lena’s arm, and pulled her lover into her chest. Lena also started to laugh at herself, shoulders shaking as she buried her face into the crook of Kara’s neck. “I’m so stressed out about this trip, that I completely forgot!”

The two hugged like that for multiple minutes before Lena pulled away just enough to look Kara up and down. “You look very comfy. Did you sleep well?” She reached up, gently pushing a wild strand of bed head behind Kara’s ear. Kara smiled and nodded, knowing what Lena was secretly asking; ‘You didn’t have any nightmares, did you?’. Ever since Kara and Lena had gotten together, Kara hasn’t slept alone in a bed. Lena has been by her side constantly, talking her through all her symptoms of her PTSD. The one night Kara tried to go to sleep by herself, without Lena in the same general area as her, she woke up screaming and crying out Zeus’ name.

So now, Kara spent every night in Lena’s bed. She still had her home, which she could now stomach to spend more than five minutes in, and would go there to get clothing or have some time to herself when Lena was at work. Kara wanted to mention that maybe they should just move into her cabin, since they were constantly together anyways. However, the relationship was still new, and Kara didn’t want to push.

“Do you want me to make us some breakfast?” Kara asked, gesturing to the kitchen. Lena playfully hummed in thought, but had already made up her mind of what she wanted. She stretched up and sweetly kissed her lover. Even after 2 months together, Kara’s breath was still taken away whenever Lena kissed her. “What’s on the menu?” Lena whispered softly, going in for another kiss before Kara could answer.

“We could do pancakes,” Kara mumbled between kisses, her hands instinctively wrapping around Lena’s trim waste. Lena hummed a ‘go on’, against her partner's lips. “Or uh…” Kara trailed off when she felt Lena’s hands sliding up her front. She struggled to keep her mind on the conversation. “Uh… We could make some eggs and uhm… Fuh…” Kara whispered out a garbled cuss word, feeling Lena’s nails dragging against her neck.

All thoughts of breakfast were gone. Kara’s lips pressed powerfully against Lena’s, her strong arms wrapping around her lover's waist. She felt Lena giggle against her as Kara picked her up. Lena’s legs smoothly circled around Kara, hooking behind her back. All of Lena’s weight was easily supported by Kara, who blindly started to walk backwards. The kiss was a tangle of raven and honey hair, mixed in with a soft moan when Kara playfully squeezed Lena’s ass.

With only a few stumbles, Kara was able to get the two of them upstairs. She carefully tossed Lena onto the middle of the large bed, both of them laughing together. Lena watched as Kara slowly walked on her knees across the bed. She took both hands and ran them through her hair so it was all swept backwards, her half open shirt greedily showing her red and blue bra, with a hint of well-defined abs.

Lena sat up on her elbows, biting her lip as she looked her girlfriend up and down. Her cheeks were flushed, and her pupils practically engulfed the green in her eyes. Once Kara was close enough, Lena reached forward slipping her hand through the opening in her shirt to splay a hand against Kara’s burning skin. She loved feeling how defined Kara was, fingers spread wide against her abs to feel as much as possible. The contact sent butterflies swooping through Kara’s stomach, watching Lena getting progressively turned on.

Kara let Lena feel her anywhere she wanted, until she had her fill. Eventually, Lena’s dark eyes flickered up to Kara’s, blindly hooking a finger into the front of Kara’s bicolored bra to pull her down. Kara arrogantly held herself over her girlfriend with strong arms, not wanting to put all her weight on the smaller woman.

Their lips locked in another strong, passionate kiss, Lena’s hands tangling through the mane of sunshine that surrounded her. Kara started to softly grind her hips into Lena, grinning when she felt her lover’s long legs wrap around her waist. It was starting to get incredibly hot, both of the woman’s hearts hammering in their chest, sweat starting to prickle along Kara’s back and hairline.

Kara suddenly sat up, grinning as she looked at the red faced Lena, her hair a sea of black across the light colored duvet. She was panting, and very obviously turned on. Kara couldn’t help but make her wait a little longer for what she wanted. Now it was her turn to feel her partners skin against her hands.

Lena was wearing a simple old t-shirt with nothing else under it. Kara pushed her hands under the hem of the shirt, pushing it up to show just a few inches of Lena’s stomach. Lena tried to use her legs, still wrapped around Kara’s hips, to pull her girlfriend in closer, but Kara didn’t budge.

Hands grasping Lena’s sides, Kara bent down and started to place hot, wet kisses along the top of her PJ shorts, moving slowly up her abdomen. Lena’s skin was already covered in dark hickies from the night before, but that didn’t stop Kara from continuing to leave marks on her lover, smiling against Lena’s skin as she felt her squirm, and heard her voice quietly being let out.

She ‘tortured’ Lena like this for what felt like hours, but in reality was less than 15 minutes. She didn’t give Lena a break, paying extra attention to her sensitive breasts, until Lena was grinding against her stomach, moaning loudly with each nip and lick. Kara finally pulled Lena’s shirt the rest of the way off, and hastily took off her shorts and panties in one swift motion.

As soon as Lena was naked, Kara sprawled flat across the bed, face between her legs. She playfully teased her with thigh kisses, but when Lena grabbed her face and guided it with as much patience as she could muster, Kara finally gave in, chuckling before giving in. As soon as her tongue touched Lena, she started to loudly moan and squirm. Kara hooked her arms around Lena’s hips, and didn’t stop moving her tongue exactly how Lena liked it until her girlfriend’s thighs were shaking, and her fingers were tangled almost painfully in her hair.

Lena looked beautiful as she laid naked, still vaguely shivering as Kara kissed up her body, until she was laying down next to her. It took Lena a few minutes to fully recover, hugging Kara close as she placed soft, sweet kisses along her neck and collar bone. “How much time do we have until we need to start getting ready to leave?” Lena asked softly, looking up to Kara. “Taking away the hour it’ll take us to repack your back, and put everything in the car? We have about 3 hours before we need to get up.” Lena playfully frowned, looking Kara up and down hungrily. “I guess 3 hours is enough… More would be better, though.” She gave a small shrug.

So, 3 amazing hours later, Kara and Lena were finally out of bed- and out of the shower -repacking Lena’s bag, and getting everything down to Kara’s car. Lena double, then triple checked the entire apartment before Kara had to pull her down to the car, telling her that everything was in order, and that she couldn’t stall forever. Finally, the two women were in the car, Kara pulling out of the apartment parking lot, while Lena calculated the GPS.

It didn’t take them long to leave West Alpine, Kara waving at the sign as they passed it. As soon as they were out of the town’s boundaries, Kara could feel herself settling in for the long trip. Lena put on an audio book that the two of them enjoyed, quietly playing it in the background as she casually talked with Kara. The entire trip would take almost 20 hours. The girls had planned pit stops along the way, but they didn’t want to stop to sleep.

In the back of the car were energy drinks, coffee, and caffeine tablets to keep the two of them up, and they specifically planned five hour shifts. Kara would drive the first five, and then switch with Lena at one of the stops they planned. It would make everything easier, and give each driver time to take a power nap when needed.

The first three hours of Kara driving went by smoothly, with not very many people on the road. It was still rather cold outside, snow piled high along the highway, but the roads were well salted, and Kara was an expert driver during the winter.

When it was Lena’s turn to drive, she seemed calm and relaxed. The two of them took a few minutes at the rest stop to use the restroom and stretch their legs. Kara also took a moment to give Lena lots of kisses and hugs. Lena was a giggling mess when Kara started to be goofy, making funny growling sounds as she buried her face into Lena’s neck, squeezing her so tightly almost all the air in Lena’s lungs were pushed out.

And so, the rest of the trip went like that. They stopped, switched positions, and continued driving. The sun started to go down, so the girls took a moment to grab some dinner at a small road side burger joint. The food was decent, but when one of the male waiters started to hit on Kara, Lena very possessively hugged her close, and started to kiss her cheek and shoulder any time the waiter looked over to them.

It was almost a full 24 hours since the women left before they finally got to Kara’s mothers house. It was very dark out, and snow was starting to fall heavily. “Go knock on the door, I got our stuff,” Kara instructed Lena, jumping out of the car. She stretched stiffly- the last five hours seemed to take the longest –running to the back of the car to grab the multiple bags they packed. Lena hurried up to the front door, gently knocking. Kara could tell even from a distance that Lena was still nervous. Her shoulders were tense, and she kept glancing between the door and Kara.

The door opened after a few seconds of Lena knocking, the sleepy figure of Kara’s mom lit up from behind by the front hallways light. “Hey, mom!” Kara called, hopping up onto the front porch right next to Lena. Ms. Danvers eyes lit up, realizing that her daughter was finally here. “Hey! How was your trip? It’s so cold out here, get your butts inside!” Ms. Danvers stepped aside, practically dragging Lena into the warm house. Kara also stepped inside, bending down to kiss her mother on the cheek.

As soon as the door was closed, Ms. Danvers turned and hugged Lena with all her might. Lena looked surprised, glancing at Kara who just laughed. “It’s so good to finally meet you! Kara has told me so many good things!” Lena smiled kind of awkwardly, not used to this type of physical contact from a motherly figure. “Oh, I’m glad they were all good things,” Lena joked.

Ms. Danvers led the girls inside, telling Kara where she could set the bags down. Lena looked around the cozy home in awe. “And here I thought Kara’s cabin was homely… This place is beautiful, Ms. Danvers!” Kara’s mother laughed at her formalness. “Please, call me Eliza- and thank you. I’d like to pride myself on teaching Kara her home decorating skills.” Eliza smiled and winked to her daughter.

“I’m sure you two are exhausted. Let’s all go to bed, we can catch up and get to know each other tomorrow. I’ll make waffles, if you guys want.” Kara instantly agreed to her mother’s waffles, Lena laughing at her lover. The couple said good night to Eliza, Kara showing Lena the way to their room, where she had set all their bags. The two brushed their teeth, and got changed into warm PJ’s before cuddling into the queen sized bed in Kara’s old room.

Lena wrapped herself tightly into a ball, letting Kara hug her from behind. “Sleep well, baby,” Kara whispered. Lena, quickly starting to fall asleep, only managed a hum and a soft, “I love you.” The bed was warm, and Kara felt completely safe as she held onto Lena. She dozed off, wondering what the morning would be like. Her mother could be a bit much when she was excited about something, but she trusted that Eliza would be able to contain herself.

When Kara woke up, Lena wasn’t in bed with her. It was almost noon, and Kara could hear people talking from the kitchen. She groggily sat up, her wild hair falling into her face as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. It was still snowing outside, the sun shining brightly off of every white covered surface. It was a little chilly in the house, so Kara grabbed a throw blanket that had been pushed off the bed, wrapping it tightly around her shoulders before she shuffled outside her room.

Kara could now tell that the voices she was hearing was her mother and Lena. Her mom was cooking a large brunch- although it could simply be counted as lunch -chatting away as Lena sat at the bar counter, sipping some coffee. When Lena glanced over to Kara, her eyes brightened, and her smile grew wide. “Oh, you’re finally up!” Kara could practically see the love radiating off of her as she watched Kara walk over, offering her a sip of her still warm coffee. Kara happily accepted the drink, wrapping an arm gently around Lena’s torso. “What are you two talking about?” Kara asked after taking a sip of Lena’s coffee.

“Eliza was just telling me about how you and Alex used to get into all sorts of trouble as kids. It’s a mirical that you’re a police officer now.” Lena smirked playfully at Kara, who scoffed and rolled her eyes. “It’s not like we did anything illegal, we just liked to prank the old man next door!” Eliza and Lena laughed. Kara couldn’t help but join in.

Eliza eventually finished cooking them their meal, Kara setting the table with Lena’s help. They all sat down, and dug in, Kara praising her mother for her amazing cooking. Lena also seemed to enjoy the waffles and bacon, quickly scarfing down one plate, and grabbing seconds. “So, Kara tells me you’re a chemistry teacher at the towns high school?” Eliza took a sip of her own coffee, looking to Lena.

“I am, yes. When I taught college I was also teaching the sciences,” Lena listed the classes she had once taught, Eliza’s eyes lighting up as she spoke. “I was a bio-engineer back in my day!” Instantly Eliza started to talk about her past work. For a second Kara was about to stop her, thinking that Lena might not understand what her mother was talking about. Instead, Lena looked just as excited at Eliza, asking questions and talking a bunch of science jargon with her.

Kara sat back in her seat, looking between her mother and her lover. They spoke passionately together, and Kara could feel her love for both women swelling in her chest. She was grateful that Eliza and Lena could get along so well. She was originally worried that maybe they wouldn’t have anything to talk about, but now that she saw them together she realized how foolish that was.

Lena and Eliza talked for almost a full half hour about all about their knowledge and their passion for science before Lena steered the conversation back to something Kara could understand. They spoke about Kara and Lena’s trip to National City, and how they got to know one another. Lena mentioned how protective and caring Kara was when people started to spread rumors, and treat Lena badly. “That’s my girl, always looking out for the people around her,” Eliza said proudly.

Eventually, once the conversation started to die out and breakfast was cleaned up, Kara suggested they do something fun. “Why don’t we go outside? I haven’t played in the snow since I was a little kid.” Lena offered with a shrug. Kara knew that the snow in the city wasn’t the cleanest, so it didn’t surprise her that Lena never really got to enjoy snow. That and she seemed to never have time to have fun. Out in the country the snow was much cleaner, and you could safely play in it without worrying about getting sick or dirty.

“I’m content with going for a walk if you guys are,” Kara said, smiling sweetly to Lena, who looked excited. It took the trio a little while to put on all the proper snow gear, Lena struggling to pull her slightly too tight pants on. Kara had to help her by grabbing the waist band and lifting up, to the point where she actually started to lift Lena off the ground. Her girlfriend squealed in terrified delight, quickly grabbing Kara’s wrists and telling her to stop. They broke into a fit of laughter and giggles after that.

Once everyone was dressed and ready, they stepped out onto the porch. Lena gasped, the cold air instantly turning the tip of her nose red. Kara giggled at Lena, walking down the stairs and out into the front yard. “There’s a beautiful path I can take us down; it’s in the woods right by here,” Eliza offered, pointing out to the tall tree line less than a mile away. Lena and Kara agreed, following Eliza down the side of the road.

Kara was in just to the side of her mother, talking about Alex and Maggie, when suddenly something cold and wet slammed into the back of her head. Kara looked around, bewildered. Lena stood there with a mischievous grin on her face, already packing another snowball in her hand. “Hey, that’s not fair!” Kara called out right before Lena launched the second projectile.

The snowball smacked Kara in the shoulder, exploding into little chunks. Kara quickly grabbed a large handful of snow from the ground, messily packing it together and launching it at her girlfriend. Surprisingly, Lena was able to dodge out of the way, running off the sidewalk and into someone’s front yard. Kara was just about to start making another snowball when suddenly Eliza shoved a handful of wet snow into her face.

The force of it made Kara slip and fall backwards, landing on her but. “I’m getting attacked from both sides!” Kara playfully complained, brushing the snow from her cheek and eyebrows. Lena and Eliza laughed, but didn’t assault Kara further. “I could have you both arrested for attacking a police officer,” Kara joked, trying to save as much of her pride as possible. That only made the women laugh harder.

Eliza turned and continued to lead the way to the wood pathway, crossing the street to show them the well-defined trail. Lena walked next to Kara, grabbing her gloved hand and squeezing it tightly. “You can get your payback later,” Lena giggled as she kissed Kara’s red cheek. Kara smirked, already planning all the ways she could make things even. For now, she decided to play nice and not attack her girlfriend.

Pushing through the branches to the entrance of the trail, the tree line opened up to a beautiful white forest. It looked like something from the movies. Lena looked around in awe, her lips slightly parted as she took everything in. “You know what this reminds me of?” Kara said softly to Lena. Her lover turned, looking slightly confused. “The Winter Wonderland fresh market. When you saved me from… And we went back to your place and you made me realize that it was okay to not like men.” Lena hummed in remembrance. “You looked beautiful that night,” She said with a sweet smile- the type of smile that always caused warmth to spread through Kara’s entire body. Kara couldn’t help but bend down and quickly kiss Lena, mirroring her smile.

“There’s this beautiful scene I’d love to show you guys, if you just follow me,” Eliza said a little way ahead of them. She gave Kara a wide smile, happy to see that her daughter was so in love with Lena. “Lead the way, we’d be happy to see,” Kara said with a chuckle.

The girls made their way through the woods, stopping every once and a while to admire a beautiful cluster of winter flowers, or some elegant trees. The walk to the sight Eliza was talking about took about an hour to get to. However, it was completely worth it; The trees opened up to the beginning of a massive valley. Mountains reached up hundreds of thousands of feet towards the sky, covered in snow and browning vegetation. Cutting through the valley, and slowly curving around a mountain to the right of the group, was a completely frozen lake, which morphed into a medium sized river.

Lena looked at the view in awe, her eyes wide as her breath puffed out in front of her. When she caught Kara watching her reaction, she quickly started to smile, beaming wide. Kara returned the smile, looking back at the lake. “Are we able to walk over it?” She asked her mother, glancing to Eliza who was grinning at them. “Yeah, it’s frozen solid. I saw some kids skating on it the other day, actually.”

The ground extended another hundred yards ahead of the group before the lake started, and as Kara got closer she could see how truly thick the ice was. Lena looked cautiously, at the frozen lake, obviously not trusting it. Kara decided to take the first step instead, her snow boots only slightly shifting on the slippery surface. She took another step, both feet now on the ice. When she didn’t start seriously sliding, or break straight through the ice, she turned to Lena.

Kara stretched out her hand, grinning wide. “Do you trust me?” Lena didn’t even hesitate in nodding, taking her hand and stepping onto the ice. She only slid when Kara pulled her in close by the hand, causing Lena to giggle with childish glee. Kara also gave her mother a hand onto the frozen lake before she started to walk further out onto the ice.

The women explored the frozen lake, but didn’t walk out too far. They went around the lower border of the ice, but the lake was so large that they knew it would be too tiring to walk the entire border.

After a while, Kara started to feel the cold seeping through her snow outfit. Eliza and Lena also looked like they were starting to get chilly, Lena hugging in close to her girlfriend. “Let’s go back and drink some cider,” Eliza suggested as they made their way back to the path they came from. Kara instantly agreed, loving the idea of snuggling in with her family, drinking hot cider and maybe even watching some funny movie.

And so, that’s exactly what they did. For the rest of their visit, Lena and Kara drank cider, ate amazing food, and watched a bunch of movies with Eliza. On late Sunday afternoon they had to unfortunately wrap up their trip. It was another 20-hour drive home, both Lena and Kara having to work Monday. They packed up their stuff, and as they slowly walked to their car they said good-bye to Eliza. She gave Lena a huge hug, thanking Lena for being there for her daughter, and making her so happy.

Before Kara was able to get into the car, Lena already slipping into the driver’s seat, Eliza stopped her daughter. “You know, you’ve always been a happy person, Kara; even when you lost your parents… But I could tell that you’ve been missing something in your life these past few visits.” Eliza glanced down to Lena, who was busy punching in their destination into the GPS. “Seeing you and Lena together made me notice that you’ve finally found that missing part of yourself. I’m so happy that you’re happy, and I hope things work out for the best.”

Tears sprung up in Kara’s eyes as she looked down at her mother. “Thank you, mom. I love you, so much.” She pulled Eliza into the tightest hug she could muster, sniffling into her shoulder for a moment. Eventually they had to pull away, both of their eyes red. “Drive safe, and I hope to see you two again.” Eliza backed away, waving to Lena as Kara got into the car. As they backed out of Eliza’s driveway, Kara gave her mother once last wave before she was too far away to see.

**********

Kara anxiously nibbled her bottom lip as she watched the clock on the station’s wall. Her shift ended in ten minutes, and as soon as she got off of work she needed to go to the store to pick up her gift ideas for Lena. It was their one-year anniversary today. They planned on celebrating that night; going to a fancy restaurant about half an hour out of town, and then go back to Kara’s cabin to exchange gifts.

She was incredibly nervous, constantly wondering if maybe she should switch things up. Early in her and Lena’s relationship did she learn that Lena heavily valued a good bath. At least once a week she would reserve two hours in the evening to take an herbal bath, do a sugar scrub or some sort of clay mask, and then use some very expensive, yet wonderful smelling lotion all over her body. 

Kara figured that maybe she could go out to Lena’s favorite bath shop in town and get all her favorite items. She was also hoping that maybe Lena would allow her to give her a spa night one night, including a full body massage; Kara had secretly been searching up massage videos and taking notes.

Maggie and Winn were also in the bull pen, silently noticing that Kara was simply staring at the clock for multiple minutes straight. “You and Lena going to do anything fun?” Maggie asked eventually, smirking when Kara slightly jumped at the sudden voice. “Yeah, we’re going for dinner and then a movie night at my place.” Maggie and Winn nodded, Winn commenting how that sounded nice.

Kara contemplated if she should bring up her gift idea to her two friends; would they simply agree with her to be nice, or give her actual feedback? Eventually, Kara threw caution to the wind and told her co-workers her gift idea for Lena. Winn looked confused. “Wait, why couldn’t you just get her a nice necklace, and some chocolate? Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do on the first anniversary?” Both Maggie and Kara looked at Winn in horror.

“Absolutely not! That’s obviously an ‘I forgot today was important’ gift,” Kara said in a disapproving tone. Maggie shook her head, mumbling something about “your poor future girlfriend” before turning back to Kara. “I think your idea’s good. It’s showing that you pay attention to things she likes, and you want to treat her to something nice for more than one night, since your gift can extend into multiple uses.”

Maggie’s words made Kara relax, now feeling fully confident in her gift idea. She glanced at the clock one more time, seeing that it was only a few seconds till her shift was over. She instantly started to pack her things up, thanking Maggie for her advice, and teasing Winn about his lack of romance as she left.

The drive to the bath shop was simple, Kara quickly jogging through the cold January air into the much warmer building. She was still in her uniform, the woman at the desk greeting Kara happily. “How may I help you, Officer Danvers? Looking for something specific?” Kara politely smiled, fishing around her breast pocket to pull out the list of items she needed. “Could you help me find some of these things? I’m kind of in a hurry, I have someone waiting for me.”

The associate- her name tag said Tara –took the list and read it silently to herself. “Oo, wow, you’re really treating yourself, huh? Got someone coming over?” Tara gave a cheeky smile, assuming that the items were something for Kara, and that she must be having a man over. No one in town, other than her close friends, knew Kara and Lena were together. Despite the fact that Lena had been living in West Alpine for over a year and a half now, people still were wary of her.

“Uh, just figured I’d give myself a spa day,” Kara lied smoothly, shrugging. She quickly changed the focus back onto the list. “So do you have everything on there? We can substitute some items if needed.” Tara took the bait, her attention brought back to the matter at hand. “Nope, we should have everything. I must say, you have really good taste. All of these items are very high quality.” Kara grinned more to herself than Tara, happy to hear that all her research for the past few days was going to pay off.

Tara gathered all of the lotions, sugar scrubs, bath bombs, and herbs that Kara required. The price came out to be quite expensive, but Kara put her car into the card reader without hesitation; Lena was worth the money, and it’s not like Kara couldn’t afford it. Once the items were paid for and put in a luxury bag, she thanked Tara and left.

Kara hurried to her house, pushing the speed limit. She needed to get home, wrap Lena’s present, shower, and get ready for her and Lena’s date. She was going to pick up her girlfriend at 6:00, which meant she had a little under two hours to get all of this done.

It was silent as Kara walked into her house. She couldn’t help but glance around, half expecting Zeus to come pelting around the corner, barking happily at her. It had been a year… He’s been gone for a year, yet she still thought she’d come home to him. Kara couldn’t think about that right now. She couldn’t get into that negative headspace. The woman she loved and owed her life to was waiting for her.

So, Kara went upstairs to her bedroom. She packed all of the bath items neatly into a box, wrapping the box in a deep burgundy paper. Kara also took the time to write a note;

_Hey, Baby,_

_Happy 1-year anniversary! I’m so grateful that I saw you a year and a half ago at that bonfire night. You’ve changed my life for the better, and I love you so much for that. I’m the luckiest woman in the world!! I can’t wait to make so many more memories with you, and see where life takes us.  
I hope you enjoy your present. I know you love to treat yourself to a spa day, but I was hoping that maybe I’ll be able to treat you instead? Either way, enjoy!_

_You’re the love of my life, forever an always,  
Kara_

Kara sprayed the note with a small amount of her perfume before taping it to the top of her present. With that done, she went to take a shower, shaving and using the shampoo that she knew Lena preferred the scent of. Kara couldn’t help but grin to herself, the anticipation for the night growing in her chest. She was incredibly excited, and couldn’t wait to see Lena.

After Kara left the shower, blow drying her hair and putting it up in a bun, leaving her bangs bumped up. She also took a moment to put lotion on her legs, chest, and arms before slipping into her most attractive undergarments, and an incredibly form fitting black dress. It had a collar that dipped down low, with short sleeves, stopping just above her knee. Kara also set aside some attractive black heels to put on before she left. She took the rest of her time to do her makeup, giving herself a nervous smile in the mirror once she finished.

Once Kara was certain that there was nothing else left to do, she grabbed Lena’s present and her heels, taking them to her car. She was going to have to drive barefoot, considering driving with heels could be dangerous if they got stuck between the petal and the floor.

Kara was right on time as she pulled into Lena’s apartment parking lot. She didn’t even need to ring up to ask Lena to let her in, having already been given a key to the front door long ago. She let herself into the apartment building, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves as she waited for the elevator. Kara knew that Lena was going to be happy with her gift regardless of what it was, and she knew they were going to have a good time together, but it was still a little stressful.

The elevator dinged when it reached Lena’s floor, opening up to the hallway. Kara looked forward to see that Lena was just opening her door, stepping out into the hallway. She looked beautiful as always; her hair was down, just like Kara liked, raven waves cascading down her back. She also wore a dress, bright red to match her lipstick. It dipped so low that Kara could see the top of her toned stomach, golden thread crisscrossing across it in a corset pattern. The sleeves were long, cutting into a V at the top of Lena’s hands, but a hole was cut out at each bicep to show her arms. The dress fitted Lena’s torso well, hugging her curves beautifully, but got lose just after her hips. It flowed down mid-calf, a long slit up one of the legs that stopped halfway up Lena’s thigh. 

Kara smirked at her girlfriend’s eagerness, walking up to her with the gift in her hand. “Did you hear the elevator coming up?” Kara asked with a smile, bending down to sweetly give Lena a kiss. Lena chuckled, knowing that she had been caught, nodding to Kara’s question. “How many times did you walk out and then realize it wasn’t me?” Lena blushed as Kara laughed. “Five times,” Her girlfriend answered bashfully.

Kara stepped into the apartment, going to set her present down on the coffee table in the living room. They’d exchange gifts when they got back from dinner. Kara was just about to turn and escort Lena out of the apartment when she heard a small noise coming from her office. Kara’s eyebrows furrowed. Did Lena have someone else in the apartment? “What was that?” Kara asked, starting to turn and walk towards the office, her police scenes tingling.

Lena suddenly grabbed Kara by the arm, and started to led her out of the apartment. “So, are we ready to go?” She asked, obviously ignoring Kara’s question. Kara narrowed her eyes, but figured that the noise might have been part of Lena’s present. What did she get for Kara that made noise like that?

The couple made their way downstairs, chatting about their day as they slipped into Kara’s car. Lena laughed when Kara had to take her heels off again. “You look ravishing, love,” Lena admitted, looking Kara up and down. She reached over, gently placing a hand on Kara’s bicep. “This almost makes me want to skip dinner and stay at the apartment.” The dark look in Lena’s eyes made Kara blush bright red. “Well, I think you’ll be glad we went to dinner. I’ve heard amazing things about this place.” Kara tried to keep her voice calm and confident, feeling butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

Just like Kara had planned, the drive took a little over 30 minutes to get to the restaurant. It seemed busy for a week night, but thankfully Kara had also thought ahead, and booked a table. When she got out of her car, Kara walked around and opened the door for Lena, who smiled sweetly at her, thanking Kara with a kiss.

Stepping inside the restaurant, Lena looked around in amazement. It kind of reminded Kara about the restaurant they went to in National City, when Kara was about to admit her love for Lena when Lena’s old coworker interrupted them rather rudely. This restaurant wasn’t French, however, but instead served Italian food.

Kara gave her name to the hostess, who straight away took them to their table. “Please, enjoy your evening,” the hostess said sweetly, bowing her head slightly before hurrying back to the front of the restaurant. Lena was still looking around the beautiful restaurant, grinning. “You’ve really out done yourself, baby.” Kara chuckled, pride warming her chest. “I’m glad you like it.”

It only took a few more minutes for a waitress to come up to them, offering a bottle of wine. Kara accepted half a serving, encouraging Lena to accept a full glass. Lena smiled to her girlfriend before accepting the offer.

The waitress left to give the two time to look at the menu, Kara looking for some sort of pasta straight away. “I don’t know why,” Lena’s voice made Kara look up from her menu, “But I’ve been really thinking about that day I saw you at the diner when we first met.” Kara furrowed her eyebrows for a moment, confused as to what she meant.

The diner when they first met?... Oh, that’s right! That was the first time Kara got angry at one of the towns members for being rude to Lena. “Looking back, I should have known the fact that you made me so nervous was because I had such a big crush on you,” Kara said with a giggle. Lena laughed along with her, resting her chin on her propped up hand. “It would have made things a lot simpler, yes, but I’m content with our past together. It gives me something to look back and laugh at.”

The girls continued to talk about their past, and how they had so many opportunities to realize their feelings for each other, but both of them were in such hard denial. They ordered their food eventually, continuing to casually converse.

“I’ve always wondered, because we never really talked about it, were you checking me out when we went hiking for the first time together?” Kara raised an eyebrow, giving her lover a playfully skeptical look. Lena laughed so hard that she couldn’t answer straight away. She bent forward, covering her mouth with a hand. Kara watched Lena, amused, joy rising in her chest as she listened to this beautiful woman laugh.

“Did you only just now realize I was definitely checking you out? I was trying to flirt with you so bad, but it kept going right over your head!” Kara blushed, feeling a little embarrassed about her past self. “To be fair, I think I was still in the closet to myself around that time… Although now that I look back on it, I kind of want to yell at myself for thinking it was normal to get turned on from your best friend looking at you.” Lena snorted.

Eventually their food came, and the girls got a little quieter as they ate. The meal was delicious, and it took all of Kara’s self-control not to scarf it down like a dog. Lena had gotten a steak, also seeming to enjoy her food. Once they finished their dinner, Kara asked the waitress if they could get a piece of cake for dessert. At first Lena protested, but when Kara said it was their anniversary, and she wanted to treat her girlfriend, Lena allowed her to order.

As they waited, they continued to talk. “So, when are Alex and Maggie going to move in together?” Lena asked, drinking the last sip of her wine. It was a sweet red, and Kara was half tempted to ask for another glass. Alex and Maggie had announced that they were buying a small apartment together a few weeks ago, but they had yet to pick one. Alex had been texting Kara about it constantly, and a few times Kara had to tour an apartment complex for them when neither of them could make showing due to work.

“Alex told me they finally picked one on the outside of town. Now they just have to put in a one months’ notice to their old places.” Lena visibly contemplated something for a moment. “People won’t notice that they live together?” Her eyebrows furrowed, and Kara shook her head. “They will probably make something up to convince themselves that nothing is going on between Alex and Maggie. They can always say they’re just room-mates, and that it’s cheaper to split rent rather than two bachelorettes living alone.”

“I’ve actually been contemplating moving out of my apartment in a year or two. Maybe I could buy a house? I’ve always loved your cabin,” Lena said almost casually, but there was an odd testing look in her eyes. She was planning something, and Kara had a feeling it had something to do with her and her home. “My cabin really is one of a kind… If you lived that far out of town, would it mess with your commute to work?” It wasn’t that much of a difference in how much time it took to get to school compared to Lena’s apartment, but the miles tended to add up when it came to buying gas.

“I’ve done some math, and although I’d be spending a little bit more to get to work, I think the extra money would be worth it.” Kara and Lena held eye contact. Lena was obviously hinting that maybe they could move in together; she just didn’t want to say it allowed. Kara grinned to her girlfriend. “Why wait a year or two? I know the perfect cabin, and you’re in luck; it’s almost paid off, and I’ve heard the other tenant in there is a real lady killer.”

Lena laughed at Kara’s joke, making Kara smile wider. “I’m serious, though; why wait?” This made Lena’s laughter die out, looking surprised. “Really? Are you sure you’re ready? I know my apartment has been your safe space for a while, and I don’t want to take that away from you.” Kara reached her hand out to Lena, who instantly took it. “Lena, you’re my safe space. Where ever you are, I know I’ll be okay… Even with the cabin’s dark history. If you’re comfortable in my house, then I’ll be comfortable as well.”

The two women smiled giddily at each other. “So… We’re actually doing this, then?” Lena asked for confirmation. Kara chuckled and nodded. “Whenever you’re ready, my home can become your home.” Lena looked as if she might start crying. She squeezed her girlfriends hand tightly. “My lease is up in six months. Will that be alright?” If anything six months felt too long for Kara; she was ready now. “Of course. We can slowly move you into the cabin during those few months.”

The cake came out as they talked about how they would slowly take the things from Lena’s apartment, and move them into Kara’s cabin. The cake was just as good as their meal, and when Kara paid the waitress she left a tip well over 20%. They left the restaurant hand in hand, Lena leaning in close to her lover.

They got to Lena’s apartment easily, although it was starting to get rather late. Kara figured she’d just spend the night at Lena’s, and get up a little earlier to grab her uniform for work tomorrow. For now, however, all she cared about was spending time with Lena.

Kara shut the apartment door, making sure to lock it before following Lena inside. Lena was looking down at her phone, reading something on it with her back turned to Kara. Her hair was swept over one shoulder, and the back of her dress dipped slightly, showing off the spot Kara loved to kiss most when they were cuddling.

Unable to keep her hands off her girlfriend, Kara gently grabbed her waist, kissing the back of Lena’s shoulder and neck. Straight away Lena moved further into her, sighing softly. “We should get you out of this dress and into something more comfortable,” Kara suggested in a low voice. Lena scoffed, looking over her shoulder to her lover. “Do you not want your anniversary present?”

“It can wait,” Kara said, just before she heard something moving in Lena’s office, must like she heard when she was picking Lena up. “I don’t think your present’s going to wait,” Lena admitted, also looking to the noise. Kara looked from Lena to the office in confusion.

Lena stepped out of Kara’s hold, backing up towards the office door. “Can you sit down on the couch?” Curiosity almost made Kara want to say no, but she decided to listen; this must have been part of her present. Was it something alive? Kara’s mind shot back to a conversation they had a few months ago; Kara mentioned that maybe getting another pet would help with her PTSD, and other mental ailments. Zeus had been an unofficial emotional support animal for her, and without him she could tell that she was starting to struggle.

Kara sat down on the couch, looking at Lena curiously. Lena was obviously trying to fight of a smile. “Can you close your eyes?” Kara raised an eyebrow, but reached up to cover her eyes with a hand. She listened to Lena give a small giggle before walking away. Her office door opened, and Lena started to whisper something inaudible. Kara could hear Lena walking back over, something wiggling around against what Kara figured was the fabric of Lena’s dress.

“Keep your eyes closed, but hold out your arms,” Lena gently ordered Kara. Of course Kara did as she was told, straight away holding her arms out. Something soft and fluffy started to move against them, Kara flinching and almost retracting her arms back towards herself. She kept them out, however, feeling the weight of the moving animal in her arms.

“Okay… You can open them.” Straight away Kara’s eyes flew open, looking at the moving creature she as holding. A small basenji puppy wiggled happily, looking up at Kara with and adorably wrinkled face. Her ears were almost bigger than her head, standing straight up like little radars. She had the cutest curled tail that was wagging a mile a minute. She had a white muzzle and under belly, but instead of the rest of her being tan she was bridled black and brown.

Kara looked from the puppy in her arms to Lena, her eyes wide and her mouth gaping wide open. Tears instantly started to form in her eyes, giggling quietly when the puppy started to crawl up her chest and gently lick her chin. “She has a name tag,” Lena pointed out softly, looking pleased that Kara seemed to love her present. When Kara looked at the name tag she instantly started to bawl.

The puppy’s name was Hera.

She held Hera close to her, kissing her tiny head. “She’s already registered as an ESA, and I’ve arranged for her to have some training done when she’s a little older,” Lena explained, taking a few steps closer to her lover. Kara, once she could calm herself down a little, gently set Hera to the side and stood. She pulled Lena into her, hugging her arms around her as she kissed her, trying to convey all her love and emotion through that kiss.

Lena instinctively rested her hands on either side of Kara’s face, smiling into the deep kiss. Kara didn’t pull away until she heard Hera softly yip at her new owners. Kara didn’t let go of Lena, looking down at the playful little puppy. “She’s perfect, Lena. I love you so much, thank you.” She couldn’t help but give Lena one last kiss before moving away to wipe the tears and mascara off her face.

“Go clean up, I can wait out here,” Lena said gently, smiling to her lover. Kara thankfully smiled back, taking a few minutes to go to the bathroom, washing the smeared makeup off her face. It was a lost cause to try and salvage anything, so she just washed it all off, letting her hair down in the process.

Once out of the bathroom, Kara went to grab her present for Lena. “I feel like this isn’t going to have nearly as much sentimental value as yours, but I hope you like it.” Kara sat next to Lena, who was casually playing with Hera. “I’m sure I’ll love it, even if it doesn’t make me cry,” Lena said with a giggle. She paused to kiss Kara on the cheek before opening the letter on the top of the present.

Her eyes scanned over the letter, and Kara could practically see the love illuminating her face. She smiled wide to Kara, leaning in to sweetly kiss her before going to tear open the wrapping paper. Kara sat anxiously, watching her gasp as she opened the box, looking at all of the bath products. “Kara… Oh wow… I love these so much, baby!” Lena beamed, reaching up to gently rub her thumb against Kara’s cheek. “Thank you so much. I’d love to use these with you!”

“Maybe some other night, when we have a little bit more time,” Kara said, noticing that it was rather late. “We both need to work tomorrow,” she pointed out. Lena frowned, obviously not wanting the night to end, but knew that they needed to be responsible. “Fine, if you say so… Maybe this weekend we’ll get to take a bath together.” Kara grinned, excited.

Lena cleaned up the wrapping paper as Kara played a little with Hera. There was a crate upstairs that Kara reluctantly put Hera in, saying to the puppy that maybe one day they could sleep in the same bed together. For now, however, Hera wasn’t trained enough to wander around at night.

The lovers took their time getting ready for bed, Kara in a loving mood as she hugged and kissed on Lena while she brushed her teeth. Lena had attempted to change into some warm PJ’s, but Kara kept playfully taking them off of her, saying how she didn’t need PJ’s when she as there to keep Lena warm.

After much mischief, and even more laughter, Lena and Kara finally crawled into bed. Lena went straight into Kara’s arms, cuddling closely into her chest. “Happy anniversary,” Kara whispered as she kissed Lena’s head. Lena hummed softly, mumbling, “Happy anniversary… I love you… So, so much.” Kara grinned into her girlfriend’s hair. “I love you more.”

**********

3 years… Kara and Lena have been together for 3 years, and Kara still isn’t used to waking up next to Lena. She rolled over after turning off her alarm for work, her eyes landing on Lena’s face, beautiful even in the dark. Lena seemed to be slowly waking up, her eyes fluttering slightly and her eyebrows furrowing. Kara couldn’t help but lean forward and softly kiss her lover. Lena hummed softly, now fully waking up.

“Good morning, baby,” Kara whispered. Lena’s beautiful green eyes flickered from Kara’s face to the clock that read 6:30am. She groaned and rolled over, trying to tug the blankets up around her head. Kara couldn’t laugh at this cute display of disgruntlement.

“We need to get up. Remember how last night you told me I can’t let you go back to sleep? No matter what you say, you’re getting out of bed.” Lena groaned some more, shaking her head adorably. “Past me can go suck a-“ Lena started, but Kara quickly interrupted her by pressing her cold bare feet to Lena’s back.

Lena squealed loudly, bolting out of bed so fast Kara thought she almost had super speed. “Hey!” Lena yelled in an insulted voice, a look of betrayal on her face. Kara cackled, sitting up. “Great! Now that you’re up, can you get the coffee started?” Kara gave her lover an innocent look. At first Lena just glared at her, but eventually gave in after Kara started to give her the smile she knew would melt her heart.

“Fine… But I won’t forget this; I’ll get you back.” Kara laughed, shrugging. What could she do that was so terrible? Press her own cold feet to Kara’s back? She was constantly warm, so the cold would probably feel good. Lena left the room to go downstairs, grumbling about how much she hated mornings.

Kara got up from bed, stretching her arms high above her head. She had to start getting ready for her shift at the station. After work, however, Kara and Alex had agreed to go out for drinks. Maggie was out of town for a few days, Henshaw sending her out to get some training done before he promoted her to deputy. Kara wanted to talk about something to Alex, that ‘something’ causing her stomach to start to churn with anxiety.

She couldn’t let her mind get ahead of herself; if she thought about this something too much, she would talk herself out of the conversation. She didn’t want to be stuck where she was forever, even if currently Kara was content in life. She wanted to take a big step forward, but needed advice from her big sister on how exactly to do that.

Kara took her shower quickly, blow drying her hair as she stood in front of the mirror in a towel. Lena eventually appeared next to her, holding a steaming cup of coffee with considerably more sugar than cream. Kara gasped in excitement seeing the caffeinated beverage, taking a quick sip before quickly setting it down due to being too hot. Lena laughed at her, kissing her softly to ‘make the boo-boo all better’. Kara made a pouty face, but couldn’t help but giggle at her girlfriend.

“What time will you be home tonight?” Lena asked casually, blowing on her drink before sipping it carefully. Kara got off of work at 5, but she didn’t plan to stay out for too long. She shrugged before answering, “Uh, probably 7 or 8. I’ll text you when I know for sure.” Lena smiled, humming as she leaned up to kiss Kara’s cheek.

Eventually Kara had to get out of her towel, changing into her uniform while Lena also got dressed into her usual teaching outfit. Kara took the last few minutes before she had to leave to drink the rest of her coffee and talk with Lena as she did her makeup. Lena didn’t have to leave as early as she did, considering her class didn’t start till 8am.

Almost no one was up as Kara drove into work, the streets empty with a low fog hanging over the town. Kara got into work, unsurprised to see that Henshaw was already in his office. Winn was also there, looking exhausted from his night shift. When he saw Kara, his eyes lit up. “Finally, you’re here! That means I can leave.” He bent down to start packing up his bag.

“You’re not even going to stick around to chat?” Kara asked, feigning hurt. Winn scoffed, looking up briefly. “If you knew the night I had, you’d understand why I just want to go home.” Kara hummed in understanding. Despite the fact that the town was asleep at night didn’t mean it was an easy shift. Lots of times when Kara worked her night shifts she had to respond to old folks falling out of bed, or parents fighting so loud that their kids get scared and call the cops. It’s exhausting having to fix other people’s petty problems, especially when you’re sleep deprived and bored.

“Get some good sleep, buddy. See you when you’re back on days,” Kara smiled to Winn, who looked grateful. Winn left, and Kara flopped down in her desk chair. She turned to her computer, now sitting in silence. She started to do a little bit of work, waiting for someone else to come in so she could have an actual conversation.

Around 7:30am, Alex finally came in. She had a diner coffee in her hand, and a bag of donuts. “Good morning,” Kara greeted her sister happily. Alex smiled to her, setting the still warm bag on her desk. “I saw Lena at the diner when I was getting coffee. She asked me to give you these for her.” Kara gasped, diving straight for the donuts. “I love that woman more than anyone can ever understand,” Kara said through a mouthful of oozing Boston cream. Alex scoffed, shaking her head as she went to her desk.

The sisters chatted for a while, Kara eating all of her donuts in under 10 minutes, enjoying each and every bite. Alex talked about how Maggie has been training and studying like crazy for her deputy training. She was currently in Olympia, which was considerably inland compared to the fishing town of West Alpine.

Eventually Kara had to leave to go on patrol. Before she left, however, she double checked that Alex was still up for hanging out. “Did we want to go to the bar like we talked about?” Alex nodded, looking away from her computer. “You told me you had something to talk about with me, right?” She seemed a little impatient, obviously curious about what Kara wanted to talk about that she couldn’t talk about right now.

Kara nodded, calling out behind her as she walked out the station door. “Yeah, I need your help with something between me and Lena.” She closed the door, heading towards her cruiser. It was a humid day, with thick grey clouds looming over head. “I bet it’s going to rain,” Kara said aloud, looking up at the sky before sliding into her police car.

The patrol went smoothly, Kara driving around town for a few hours before parking at her favorite spot to catch speeders. Lena had texted her, telling her about how someone thought it was a good idea to blow up a lasagna in the school microwave.

_’There was spaghetti sauce everywhere!’_

Kara giggled at the text, replying with some witty pun that made her laugh even more. Kara was so infatuated with her phone conversation with her girlfriend that she almost forgot that she needed to be working a speed trap.

For the rest of Kara’s shift she sat at the speed trap and responded to a few calls. Eventually she made her way back to the station, where Alex was already waiting. “Let me do a few more things, then I’ll follow you to the bar?” Kara suggested, setting her Stetson on her desk. Alex smiled and nodded, although she looked suspicious, obviously not forgetting Kara’s open ended comment about what she needed to talk to Alex about. Alex left to go change into a spare outfit she brought.

Kara quickly did some paper work, and grabbed a few things before also going to change. “Ready whenever you are,” Kara announced to her sister as she left the locker room. The siblings left, both of them going to their personal cars. The drive to the bar was quick, and they easily got parking spots considering it was a week night. Alex and Kara walked into the bar, moving to go sit at their usual spot at the bar top. Kara ordered something non-alcoholic, not wanting to drive up a mountain with booze in her stomach. Alex ordered a light beer, thanking the bartender when he dropped off the drinks.

“So… Want to tell me what you need to talk about? Is everything okay between you and Lena? You seemed fine last time I saw you.” Alex looked confused, turning to her sister as she sipped her beer.

Kara was full of anxiety. Now that she was allowing herself to think about what she wanted to talk about with Alex she couldn’t help but nervously bounce her knee. “We’re really good. Perfect, in fact.” Kara started to pick at a stray thread in her jeans. “Then why do you look like you’re about to throw up?”

“Because… Because I really want to ask Lena to marry me, but I don’t know how,” Kara blurted out, still looking down at her hands. Alex didn’t say anything, so Kara looked up anxiously. Her sisters eye were wide, and her jaw slightly ajar. “Really?! Oh, Kara, that’s amazing!” Alex jumped off her bar stool and hugged her sister as tight as possible. 

It felt as if a weight had been removed from Kara’s shoulders. Knowing that her sister approved, and thought the proposal was a good idea solidified Kara’s confidence in her decision. She hugged Alex back, emotion welling in her chest. “You really think so? I’m so worried I’m going to mess something up. I want it all to be perfect.”

“Kara, regardless of what you say or do, I’m certain Lena will think it’s perfect,” Alex said as she let her sister go, chuckling lightly. “Did you have a plan on how to do it?” Kara nibbled her lip in thought for a moment before taking a sip of her drink. “I’ve been seriously thinking about the museum up at the top of the mountain.”

Alex tilted her head, looking a little confused. “Does that place have some sort of meaning to you guys?” Kara nodded, although she wasn’t too entirely sure if the museum meant as much to Lean as it did to Kara. “It’s the first place me and Lena actually spent time together in… I remember watching her in the conservatory looking around at all the plants, thinking she looked so beautiful in the sunlight. She looked so happy, and relaxed.”

Kara paused, realizing that she was about to start rambling about her girlfriend. She blinked, looking back at Alex who was giving her a gentle smile. “Sounds like you already know what you’re going to do then. That sounds perfect, Kara. You’ve got no reason to worry.” Kara couldn’t help but mirror her sister’s smile.

The two siblings spoke about the proposal a little bit more, Kara running Alex through her entire plan in detail. Alex gave her opinion on some of the details, Kara changing some of her plans around to work better. Eventually the proposal was set; all Kara had to do was plan a date for it to actually happen. She technically already had the ring- Kara had gone to a jewelry store on her lunch break and chose out a ring, putting a down payment on it –all she had to do was pick it up from the store.

It reached 7pm rather quickly, and the two sisters had to reluctantly call it a night. Kara said she’d be home before 8pm for Lena, so Alex let her go. “Good luck, Kara! Tell me when you plan on doing it, and let me know how it goes.” Kara smiled back to her sister, thanking her as she walked out of the bar.

Kara got into her car, driving carefully through the dark roads up to her and Lena’s home. She felt excited, her mind buzzing with the conversation Alex and her had. She got home just before 8pm, happily trotting into the house.

Hera barked happily, the 2-year-old puppy running up to her owner. Kara knelt down, cooing at Hera as she aggressively pet her. She got Hera so amped up that she started to do zoomies around the cabin. Kara laughed, standing as she watched Hera bolt at her, slid to a stop, then bolt in the opposite direction.

Lena’s laughs could be heard from the living room, Kara going straight towards the noise. She smiled wide seeing her lover sitting on the couch with a book in her lap. She sat with her knees tucked under her, lounging an arm across the back of the sofa. “Hey, baby! How was work?” Lena returned Kara’s beaming smile.

Kara told Lena about her day, crawling onto the couch to lay her head on her girlfriend’s lap. Lena also shared how her classes went, illuminating the pasta sauce fiasco that happened earlier that day. Kara let her hair down as she listened to Lena, humming in quiet approval when Lena started to gently run a hair through her golden curls.

“Did you enjoy going to the bar with Alex?” Lena asked softly, Kara starting to get very sleepy, feeling relaxed as Lena stroked through her hair. “I did, yeah,” Kara barely got out, eyes falling shut. Lena softly chuckled, knowing exactly what she was doing. She quietly returned to her reading as the two of them went silent. Kara was about to let herself lull into a gentle sleep when she remembered her conversation with Alex.

“We should do something this weekend. I have Saturday off.” Lena paused in her petting, looking down at Kara. “We can do that; do you have something in mind?” Kara sleepily nodded, moving in closer to Lena. “Let’s go to the conservatory. We haven’t been in so long.” Kara tried to keep her voice calm, not wanting to give away her excitement. “Yeah, that’s a great idea,” Lena agreed, grinning down at Kara.

The two of them stayed like that, Lena reading and Kara daydreaming about the conservatory, till about 10pm. Eventually Kara had to call it a night, giving Lena and Hera lots of kisses before heading upstairs to get ready. Lena wasn’t far behind her, crawling into bed with Kara. They hugged each other close, Kara sleepily mumbling that she loved Lena before falling into a deep sleep.

The rest of the week passed by rather quickly. Kara went and got the ring during her lunch break on Friday, anxiously hiding it in her car. When the jeweler asked her why she was buying such a beautiful ring, Kara quickly made up a lie that her mother had lost her old ring, so she was getting her a new one as a gift. The jeweler didn’t ask any more questions, saying that was sweet as he handed her the ring in a box.

Finally, Saturday rolled around. Kara was so anxious about what she was about to do that she could hardly get any sleep. She texted Alex early in the morning, saying how scared she was.

_'Remember, we’ve talked about this plenty. Your plan is solid, and I’m certain she’ll say yes. Lena loves you more than you know it, silly! I’m routing for ya!'_

The text made Kara relax a little. Lena did love her, just as much as she loved Lena. This was going to go perfectly, even if it didn’t follow the plan Kara had in her head. Lena eventually woke up, curled up in Kara’s arms, smiling up at her. They spent most of the morning in bed, although Kara had to get up to let Hera run around in the woods to go use the bathroom. The day was beautiful, as if the world knew what Kara was planning on doing.

Eventually Lena got up- although Kara had to urge her out of bed, saying how they should go to the museum before it got too cloudy –taking a shower and getting dressed in an adorable outfit that made Kara feel like she was falling in love with her all over again.

Once Kara was dressed, the two hopped in Lena’s sporty black car and drove up the mountain to the museum. The parking lot was near empty as usual, Kara silently thanking whoever was listening for the perfect situation. An empty museum meant no interruptions or prying eyes. It’d be awkward if someone walked into the middle of Kara’s proposal.

The two girls got out of the car, Lena looking rather excited about looking through the museum again. They haven’t been back for a few years, having only gone a second time right around the time they got back from National City over 3 years ago.

When they stepped into the museum lobby, the original ticket vendor woman wasn’t there- Kara still couldn’t remember her name, it’d been too long –but instead a polite young gentleman. At first Kara didn’t recognize him; his hair was shorter, he had a nicely trimmed beard, and he was much taller compared to when Kara saw him last… Tom smiled wide seeing Kara and Lena.

“Hey, guys! It’s been so long!” Tom stood from his seat, walking around the desk. Kara gasped in excitement seeing how well Tom looked compared to his half beaten, scrawny teenager self. “Oh my god, I had no idea you were in town!” Kara ran up to Tom and gave him a big hug. Tom laughed, squeezing Kara.

Lena also gave him a hug, saying how she was happy to see her former student. “How are things at your mom’s?” Kara asked, excited to learn how well Tom had grown up. They had kept in touch for a little while after he was sent away to his mother’s house a few states away, but after Kara’s assault she had a hard time keeping up with some of her friends. Lena and Alex were her main support lines, so she was only around them for a few months.

“Things are great, thanks for asking. She’s currently renovating a large section of her house, so she asked if I could move with her to West Alpine for a few months, so she’s not paying for a full apartment and the renovations all by herself. I figured I’ll take a gap year from school and focus on work so I can help pay for half of the apartment. I know it’s a weird situation, but it works.” Tom gave a playful shrug, still grinning.

“So why West Alpine?” Lena asked, Kara silently agreeing. Of all the places to go, he went back to this town? Tom explained that the apartment prices were considerably cheaper- compared to the prices of apartments around his mother’s town- and it was easier to move into a town they knew, rather than start over somewhere else.

Kara didn’t blame him; the real-estate in West Alpine was very cheap. Kara had been able to pay off her cabin after only a few years of living in it, although it helped that her mother likes to send Alex and her a little extra cash to help with rent and groceries.

The three of them chatted for a little bit, Kara and Lena asking plenty of questions. They learned that Tom has been going to school to become a micro biologist. He was still in the very beginning of the schooling, which is why he was able to take a gap year for his mom. Tom also met his now boyfriend in college, bragging about how wonderful he is for almost five minutes straight. When he found out that Kara and Lena had been dating for quite a while he excitedly congratulated them.

Eventually Kara and Lena got their tickets and left, telling Tom they’ll see him before they leave the museum. Tom grinned widely to them. “I look forward to it. Enjoy your time in the conservatory!” Kara happily waved before following Lena into the actual exhibit area.

The museum had changed up some of their displays; things looked newer, and some of the plaques had been updated. There were also some new exhibits that were added in, so Lena took her time looking everything over again. Kara also tried to read and learn, but she found her mind drifting to the ring in her pocket.

She couldn’t fit the ring and its box in her pocket- plus that would be very noticeable –so she had the bare ring hidden in the front of her jeans. She texted Alex about it, worried that it’d either fall out. Alex talked Kara’s nerves down, saying that she just needed to keep checking on it if she was so worried.

The closer they got to the conservatory, the more anxious Kara got. Her stomach churned, and she felt like her face was probably a few shades of green. Lena paused in her reading when she noticed how anxious her lover looked. “Are you okay? Do you feel sick or something?” Lena went up to Kara, pressing the back of her palm against Kara’s forehead.

The concern for her lover made Kara remember that regardless of how this proposal went down, everything would be okay. Lena loved her unconditionally. She wouldn’t hang onto the little details that Kara was so worried about. All she cared about was Kara in the end; not that there was no ring box, not that Kara didn’t exactly know what to say, and not that the proposal might not be exactly perfect.

Kara leaned down and sweetly kissed Lena, her anxiety starting to ebb away as the love for her girlfriend swelled in her heart. “I’m okay, baby. Let’s move on, yeah?” Lena, who still had a hand on Kara’s face, looked kind of confused and dazed by the sudden kiss. Still, she smiled wide to Kara and nodded, getting one last kiss in before backing away and continuing on through the museum.

Finally, the time came. The girls exited through the museum doors and into the conservatory. The weather was holding up thankfully, sending beautiful streams of sunlight through the glass dome and into the lush gardens. Lena started to look at all the blooming flowers, subconsciously grinning as she studied them. Kara was looking at Lena look at the plants, matching Lena’s grin. She wanted to get down on one knee right then and there, but figured she should wait till they get further into the garden.

Ten minutes felt like ten hours to Kara as she allowed Lena to lead them through the plants, talking casually about how maybe they could start a garden at the cabin. Kara was trying her best to follow along and listen, throwing in the occasional, “uh huh.” In reality, however, she was actually scouting out the surrounding area. She wanted to make sure no one was around to interrupt them. There was a bench facing the center tree of the conservatory, so Kara slowly started to led Lena over to the bench.

They sat down, Kara draping her arm over the back of the bench casually. Lena sat close to her, sighing happily as she looked at the tree. There was an air of content-ness that passed over the two lovers. Kara could sit like this for hours, honestly. Still, though, she felt like this was the right moment to propose. The situation was perfect, Kara could tell.

She waited a few more minutes in silence before turning to Lena. “Did I ever tell you how I was thinking of telling you how I felt at National City all those years ago?” Lena looked away from the massive tree, eyebrows furrowing at Kara. “Uh… No?” She tilted her head slightly. “Yeah, during our second night there, when we went out to dinner, I had felt like that was the perfect moment to tell you how much I loved you.”

Kara shifted in her seat to look at Lena a little bit better. “First I wanted to tell you when we were dancing in your apartment, but I was scared I was going to ruin dinner. Then I wanted to say something later that night, watching you listen to that beautiful classical piece at the restaurant.” Lena’s eyes were darting all over Kara’s face, wondering where this was going.

“I remember thinking, ‘this is it… This is the night I want to remember for the rest of my life’… I wanted to remember the blissful look on your face, and how beautiful you looked in that red suit of yours. I wanted to engrave that song you loved so much that you closed your eyes to listen to it in my head. I was so ready to tell you right then and there- and I was literally seconds away from saying the words –but your coworker interrupted us, and I never got the chance to say what I really wanted to say that night.” Kara now shifted off of the bench, moving to kneel in front of Lena. She didn’t pull the ring out just yet.

She could tell that Lena was starting to put two and two together, her eyes going wide, and her jaw dropping slightly. “I wanted to tell you that I love you so much it scared me. I was so in denial when I first met you that I kept telling myself we were just close, and my feelings weren’t what I thought they were. The night I realized that I truly loved you was really scary; not just because I was finding something out about myself, but also because I didn’t want to lose you. I didn’t want to risk our friendship, because I was worried you’d run away if you didn’t feel the same thing.”

Now Kara pulled out the ring from her pocket. She looked from that tiny silver band with bright green emeralds, then back to Lena who was staring wide at the ring. “I’m no longer scared that I’ll lose you. I know we’re in this together, no matter what. I want to make sure everyone knows that as well. I want them to know how much I love you, and how grateful I am that you came into my life and made me realize my true self.”

Kara swallowed hard, shifting slightly as she mentally prepared herself to say the words she’d been waiting to say for over 3 years now. “Lena Luthor… Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

Lena was silent as she continued to stare at the ring. In fact, she was silent for a little too long. Kara nervously licked her lips, raising an eyebrow slightly. “Lena?” Kara was about to stand up when suddenly Lena burst out laughing. Kara looked bewildered, quickly putting the ring away and sitting back down on the bench. Was Lena seriously laughing at her?!

“Wha… Why are you laughing?!” Kara asked in a panicked voice. Lena tried to quickly reign in her laughter, looking to Kara with tears in her eyes as she continued to giggle. “Because… We’re so in tune with each other that we literally planned on proposing on the same day.” Lena reached into the small purse she had with her, and pulled out a small black box.

Kara’s eyes went wide, watching Lena open the box to reveal the most beautiful wedding band she had ever seen. It too was silver, just like the one Kara picked for Lena. The center was incrusted with beautiful sapphires all around, lined with white diamonds along the edges and between the sapphires.

It took Kara a few moments to take in what was really going along, looking up at Lena in surprise. “Will _you_ , Kara Danvers, also agree to do me the honor of becoming _my_ wife?” Lena smiled that bright, dazzling smile that made Kara’s heart swell with love. Kara tried to stutter out a, “of course,” but when her tongue caught in her throat she simply lunged forward and kissed Lena with everything she had.

Lena laughed into the kiss, carefully wrapping her arms around Kara. They held the kiss for several moments, Kara trying to contain her smile for as long as possible. Eventually they pulled away, both of them laughing and smiling like teenagers. “Here, you can put your ring on my hand, then I’ll do the same,” Lena suggested, offering her left hand. Kara pulled the ring from her pocket back out, slipping it onto Lena’s ring finger. Lena took a moment to look at it with pure joy in her eye before she moved to pull Kara’s ring out of the box.

The metal was cold against Kara’s warm hand, but it was a comforting feeling. Kara also took a moment to study her ring, smiling back up to Lena. They kissed happily one more time before Kara pulled away, mentioning that she needed to text Alex about what just happened.

“I also need to text her, and tell her you said yes,” Lena chuckled. Kara paused, looking confused for a moment. “Wait… When did you talk to Alex about proposing?” Lena smirked playfully, a mischievous look in her emerald eyes. “I asked her for her blessing two months ago. I also called your mom and asked for her approval as well around the same time. Alex is the one who helped me pick a ring.” Kara gasped, looking jokingly insulted.

“That’s so mean! She didn’t tell me you talked to her!” Lena laughed, leaning in and kissing Kara’s cheek lovingly. “That’s the point, darling. It was supposed to be a secret. I was going to ask you at dinner, so to be fair Alex also didn’t tell me what you were planning.” The two laughed, Kara commenting how this situation only happened in books and movies.

Kara did text Alex, telling her how she was a ‘terrible’ sister for not telling her what was going on, and that she could never trust her again. Alex responded with a laughing emoji and:

_’Hey, I need to get my entertainment in somehow!’_

_’Congratulations you two. Here’s to a long and happy marriage!’_

After talking about how both of them had been thinking of doing this for a long while, they decided to leave so they could call Kara’s mom and tell her the good news. On the way out, they made sure to stop by Tom’s desk and tell him the funny story. He was ecstatic for them, telling them congratulations and laughing at the story.

When they got back to the cabin, Kara called her mother on speaker phone. Eliza answered cheerfully, asking how her daughter was doing. “Well… You’ll never believe what happened,” Kara answered, before explaining. Through her laughter, Eliza replied that she knew the two of them wanted to propose, but she would have never guessed they managed to plan it on the same day without telling one another.

The girls had a long conversation, Eliza ending it with a congratulation, and saying how they should plan on having the wedding in the spring. “It’s the most beautiful time of the year,” was her reasoning. Eventually the call ended, and Kara suggested they have a meal to celebrate. Lena smiled her dazzling smile once again, giving Kara a quick kiss.

“I think that’d be a wonderful idea, Mrs. Luthor.” Kara laughed, getting up and returning Lena’s smile. “Who says I’d be taking your name? Why not take mine? Lena Danvers has a nice ring to it.” Lena followed Kara into the kitchen, smirking. “Because Luthor is a powerful name, and I think my family would kill me if I changed it… Why not hyphenate it, then? Luthor-Danvers, or Danvers-Luthor if you’d like.”

The two fiancé’s spoke about their future last name as they made dinner. Eventually the conversation died out, both of them agreeing that they had a while to plan everything out. Instead they switched to slow dancing to music as they waited for their food to cook in the oven. Lena had her head resting on Kara’s shoulder as she softly whispered;

“I love you to the moon and back, Kara… Thank you for making my life so bright.”

**********

Today was the day. Lena and Kara had spent over a year and a half planning this specific day. They made sure everything would be perfect, down to the T. Kara hadn’t gotten any sleep that night. She laid in her hotel bed staring up at the ceiling for hours, trying to will some sort of sleep to overcome her. Lena was a few doors down, but they had promised each other they wouldn’t see one another until Kara walked down the aisle in the afternoon.

Kara didn’t know if it was the nerves, or the fact that she hadn’t slept alone in a bed for almost 5 years now that made it so hard to fall asleep. Around 2am Kara gave up trying to get any rest, turning on the TV and grabbing the vows she wrote on a piece of torn out notebook paper. She’d read and re-written it at least five times now, but she was so nervous, and needed to keep her mind occupied.

The past year and a half had been a rather stressful one. In the middle of planning their wedding, Kara and Lena also had to pack up the cabin and move. Lena had been offered a job in Seattle, to help with some research on genetics and DNA enhancing. Basically what she did while working for her family, but much less stressful. Kara also got a new job in Seattle; She was sent to school to become a detective for the Seattle Detective Bureau. They were a private investigative unit, instead of an actual police force.

So now they were living in Seattle, in a comfortable apartment, not having to hide their relationship from the world. It was Kara’s dream to move away from West Alpine, but she had never imagined 5 years ago that she’d be moving away with the love of her life.

They were currently staying in a hotel in Colorado. The wedding was going to be small, filled with friends and family. Kara had taken her mother’s advice and set the wedding in spring. It was the beginning of June, and the weather forecast said it’d be a comfortable 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Kara kept checking her phone to see if the weather would change, as well as if anyone had texted her.

Alex and Maggie had arrived at the hotel the night before, planning on helping Lena and Kara to get ready early on the morning of. Kara decided that she didn’t want to wait on her sister to wake up at 5am, so she started to get ready herself. She took a shower around 3am, thoroughly washing her hair and body.

She took her time drying off, whispering her vows to herself as she dried her hair with a towel. She promised her sister that she could do her hair and make-up, so she left it down to air dry. It was now around 4am, and Kara had no idea what to do with herself.

She’d memorized her vows, corrected some of the wording, and watched so many episodes of a random soap opera that she was now invested in the plot. Eventually, however, Kara just ended up texting her sister that if she’s awake she should come over to her room now.

About half an hour later there was a soft knock on Kara’s door. She looked through the peep hole to see that it was Alex, looking a little rumpled, but awake and ready. Kara opened her hotel door, smiling gratefully to her sister. “I’m sorry, I just couldn’t sleep and figured that a head start wouldn’t hurt anyone,” Kara said softly, trying to make sure her voice didn’t carry through the hotel hallway as she closed the door.

“I knew you’d be anxious, so I set an alarm for 4:30am because I knew you’d be awake.” Alex smirked at her younger sister. She was carrying multiple large bags, setting them down on the desk in the room. “So… Before we start; I’ve got you some energy bars and orange juice. You might not be hungry now, but I know you will be when you’re not able to get food at that moment. Like in the middle of the ceremony or something.” Alex grabbed the snacks and handed them to Kara.

After Kara reluctantly ate her food, although she was grateful for her sister’s forethought, Alex started on getting her ready. She did Kara’s hair in an intricate half up, with braids small, loose braids throughout. Although it seemed like a simple design, it was difficult to perfect, so Alex took quite a while to finish it to her standards. She was a perfectionist, after all.

Between the hair and make-up, the girls took some time to relax and play around. Kara was grateful that Alex was able to take her mind off of her anxiety about the wedding. She wasn’t worried that things were going to go wrong, or that Lena wasn’t going to be there, she was just feeling a lot of emotions and overthinking.

Alex eventually made Kara sit down so she could to her make-up. Kara had always been very minimalistic when it came to make-up. She’d always do a simple look, with little to no eye shadow. Alex, however, was very skilled with her eye liner and knew exactly how to make her sister look good.

She shaped Kara’s eyebrows, and contoured her face. On her eyes she put a smoky brown on the outer corner, and a shimmering pearl white on the inside, blending the two together. She also did thick cat eye eyeliner, and fake eyelashes. Alex finished the look by putting matte brown-red lipstick on her sister, standing back and smiling at her handy work.

Kara looked in the mirror, gasping at how beautiful she looked. She smiled wide, inspecting her face from all angles for multiple minutes. “Lena’s one lucky woman if you ask me,” Alex chuckled, watching her sister.

By now it was almost 7am. There was another knock on the door, Alex going over to answer it. Eliza stepped into the room when her daughter opened the door, holding a bag of bagels and a bunch of coffee. She greeted her daughters cheerfully, “I’ve got breakfast!” Kara, who was always ready to eat, gasped and hurried over to take the coffee and food from her mother.

As the three ate, Eliza happily chatted, talking about how beautiful Kara looked, and how this was going to be the best- yet most stressful –day of her life. “Did you get a chance to talk to Lena?” Kara asked as she carefully sipped her coffee, trying to not mess up her lipstick.

“I did! She looks just as beautiful. Maggie and her assistant Katie are helping her get ready. That woman is one of the calmest people I have ever seen, she didn’t even seem slightly worried about today.” Kara swallowed her mouthful of coffee hard, her anxiety spiking for a moment. She knew Lena well enough to know that when she was calm, she wasn’t actually calm. Her first instinct was to find her and talk to her, but they’d promised not to see each other until they walked down the aisle. However, they never said texting was off limits.

_’I can’t wait to see you, baby! I’m so excited!!! Maybe we should just elope, and get all this stress out of our lives._

_I’m kidding, by the way- I’ve been waiting all my life to see you at that alter.’_

Kara figured her fiancé was busy, so it was a surprise when she got a text back not even five minutes later.

_’I love you, and I can’t wait to see you either. I’m certain you’ll look beautiful walking down that aisle. (Although I agree eloping would be so much simpler)’_

Kara giggled at Lena’s text. Hearing from her future wife set Kara at complete ease. She was doing okay, and there was nothing to worry about. Today was going to be perfect, and she couldn’t wait to remember it for the rest of her life.

At around 8am, Kara had to start getting dressed. Her wedding dress was hanging up in the hotel closet, covered up in a black bag. Kara had made sure that the only other person who’d seen her wedding dress was Alex and Maggie, who’d helped her pick it out. She had her mother turn her back and not look at her as Alex helped get the dress on and buttoned up.

She wore a lace-covered mermaid wedding dress, colored a beautiful pure white. The bodice had thin straps over the shoulders, and a plunging heart neckline that stopped in the middle of Kara’s sternum. She also put her veil on- which really wasn’t a veil. It was a lace cape that went around her shoulders, and up her neck. It flowed all the way down to the floor, trailing a few feet behind her.

When Eliza turned around, she gasped. At first she tried saying something, but no noise came out as her mouth moved. So instead she just settled for crying with tears of joy. She hugged her daughter with all her might, squeezing her till she almost couldn’t breathe. Finally, after a few minutes of being unable to talk, Eliza managed to choke out, “You look so beautiful!”

Kara herself tried not to get emotional- Alex would literally kill her, wedding or not, if she messed up her make-up –hugging her mother tightly. She sniffled and held back tears, chuckling at her mother’s kind words. “I couldn’t do this without your support- both of you –and I can’t thank you enough.” Kara reached for her sister, pulling her into the hug.

After all of the girls calmed down, and Alex and Eliza were able to get themselves ready, it was finally time for them to go down to the venue. The hotel was right next to the park that Kara and Lena had picked out, so all they had to do was walk five minutes away. They made sure Lena was already at the venue before leaving, Alex and Eliza shielding Kara just in case. Not just to make sure Lena didn’t see Kara, but also so Kara couldn’t see Lena.

All of the guests had already arrive, and were waiting. Kara was put in a make-shift waiting area made up of folding screens. Alex and Eliza made sure that Kara was okay and ready before making their way to their seats. Kara anxiously waited, drumming her fingers against her bouquet in anticipation. Finally, over the speakers set up around the venue, she could hear her song starting to be played.

She walked down the tree-covered pathway before emerging into the clearing where the wedding was being held. Everyone was standing and looking at Kara, but she was looking ahead, at Lena.

The first time Kara and Lena met came to mind; when she helped her by scaring off Eric Matthews. The moment she had turned around and saw Lena for the first time… This was like seeing Lena for the first time all over again.

Her raven hair, pulled up into a beautiful bun, caught the sunlight just right so it looked like she had a halo around her. Her emerald eyes were blazing, boring into Kara’s blue eyes. Her favorite crimson lipstick complimented her pale skin perfectly.

Lena was smiling at her, tears in her eyes as her eyebrows furrowed with emotion. Lena wore a dress as well; An open backed, long sleeve dress that went straight down to the ground. Roses were imprinted with lace covering the entire dress, her sleeves see-through. She also didn’t wear a veil, instead wearing a very simple string of diamonds as a beautiful crown.

Kara didn’t even realize she was at the altar, staring breathlessly at Lena, until the wedding officiant started talking. “Today we are here to witness the joining of two lives into one. You have come here to share in this formal commitment that they make to one another, to offer your love and support to this union, and to allow Kara and Lena to start their married life together surrounded by the people dearest and most important to them.”

Lena couldn’t stop smiling. She held Kara’s hand tightly, her fingers trembling as she looked her fiancé up and down. “You look so beautiful,” Kara whispered, trying to not interrupt the officiant. The comment set Lena over the edge, the tears she had been holding back spilling over. This made Kara cry, joy filling her heart. She wanted to kiss Lena so badly, but held back as she tried to listen to the wedding officiant.

She spoke about the definition of marriage and relationships, saying, “No ceremony can create your marriage; only you can do that through love and patience; through dedication and perseverance; through talking and listening, helping and supporting and believing in each other; through tenderness and laughter; through learning to forgive, learning to appreciate your differences, and by learning to make the important things matter, and to let go of the rest. What this ceremony can do is to witness and affirm the choices you make to stand together as life mates and partners.”

Kara buzzed with anticipation, looking between the officiant and Lena. She kept smiling excitedly, squeezing Lena’s hand as she held it. “Now, for the vows. Lena, if you’d like to start.” Lena nodded, reluctantly dropping her lovers hand so she could grab her note cards from Katie. She glanced between the cards and Kara as she read;

“Kara… When I moved to West Alpine, I had never imagined that I’d ever fall in love. To be honest, all those years ago, I had actually promised myself that I wouldn’t ever love. I threw the definition out of my brain, telling myself that I didn’t need something like that in my life… But then I met you- you beautiful, wonderful, amazing human being. You saved me; made me realize that I do in fact need love in my life. You took me in when no one else would, and made me feel like West Alpine actually was my home. I know it took us a while to finally be truthful with one another, but I am so glad we have.”

Lena paused to wipe the tears off her cheeks, still crying. “I have been madly in love with you after so many years. I’ve enjoyed the miracle of loving you, and I hope to grow happy and old with you for the rest of our lives.” Lena looked up from her vows, smiling to her fiancé. Kara could hear some people crying in the crowed, but she dared not look away from Lena, engraving this memory in her head.

It was now Kara’s turn to read her vows. She grabbed them from Alex, shakily unfolding the notebook paper that had been written and re-written on. “A photograph couldn’t ever tell its story. It’s like something you have to live to understand. One of those freak collisions of fizzing meteors and looming celestial bodies and floating debris and one single beautiful red ball that bursts into your life and through your body like an enormous firework.

“Where things shift into focus for a moment, and everything makes sense. You, Lena, make sense to me. You’ve made me realize so many beautiful things about myself that I would have never figured out. I kept them buried so deep inside of me that I didn’t realize how much they were weighing me down. You saved me from drowning, and I can never thank you enough for that. I’m so happy I was able to find you, the one thing that makes me truly feel whole. You’re my mirical, and I plan on holding onto you for the rest of my life.”

Kara carefully folded her vows, and took Lena’s hand again. Both of them were shaking now, staring into each other’s eyes. It was the final part of the ceremony. They were so close, the anticipation over flowing.

“Now, finally; Lena Luthor, do you take this woman to be your wedded wife? To have and to hold for the rest of your life?” The officiant looked to Lena, who was already nodding before she even finished her question. “I do,” Lena declared, still looking straight at Kara.

“And do you, Kara Danvers, take this woman to be your wedded wife? To have and hold for the rest of your life?” Kara swallowed hard, a splitting smile crossing over her face so big that it hurt. “I do,” Kara said proudly. “Then, if you two will exchange your wedding rings.” They stepped away from each other one last time to grab the rings that Alex and Maggie were holding on to. They were replicas of the others rings; Kara got Lena’s silver and emerald ring, while Lena got Kara’s diamond and sapphire ring.

“It is my honor to finally say; you may kiss.” Kara and Lena stepped forward so fast that Kara thought they might slam into one another and chip a tooth. They didn’t, thankfully. The kiss was strong, and full of an impossible amount of love and happiness.

The crowd cheered as the two kissed. Kara didn’t want to pull away, but she knew that she had to. They looked at one another, mirroring the widest smiles they could possibly muster as they stepped away. This was it; Kara finally had her happily ever after.

“I present to you, Kara and Lena Luthor-Danvers!”


End file.
